Restructuring Yen Thanh's agricultural sector with a new strategic vision

Article: Van Truong - Editor: Lam Tung• DNUM_BFZAGZCACA 10:47

(Baonghean)- After 10 years of efforts to implement the National Target Program on New Rural Construction, Yen Thanh district has been recognized by the Prime Minister as a district meeting new rural standards.

Nghe An Newspaper reporter interviewed comrade Nguyen Viet Hung - Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Yen Thanh district about the process of building new rural areas and the district's next plans in the process of building a model new rural district.

Comrade Nguyen Viet Hung - Secretary of District Party Committee, Chairman of Yen Thanh District. Photo: VT

PV:Could you please tell us about the outstanding results in the process of building the district to achieve new rural standards?

Comrade Nguyen Viet Hung:Yen Thanh is a large district with 39 communes and towns; the population ranks third in the province with nearly 300,000 people, but after 10 years of implementing the National Target Program on new rural construction in Yen Thanh district, comprehensive and outstanding results have been achieved. After many years of continuous efforts, being recognized by the Prime Minister as meeting new rural standards in 2019 is a great honor and pride for the local Party Committee, government and people.

The rural appearance in Yen Thanh has increasingly improved. Photo: Document

After 10 years of implementing the National Target Program on New Rural Construction, Yen Thanh district has continued to develop its economy, ensure social security, and improve people's lives. The economic structure has shifted in the right direction, with annual budget revenue reaching over 380 billion VND. There are more than 15,000 workers working abroad, sending back over 200 million USD annually, contributing to increasing income. The poverty rate of the district has decreased to 1.92%; 100% of households use the national grid. The average income per capita is currently 43 million VND/year.
The total capital mobilized by Yen Thanh district for the construction of new rural areas over the past 10 years is nearly 5.5 trillion VND. Of which, the central budget is more than 242 billion VND, the provincial budget is more than 348 billion VND, the district budget is more than 277 billion VND, the commune budget is more than 1.3 trillion VND... In particular, Yen Thanh district has completed and put into use many essential works. Most notably, the rural traffic infrastructure system in Yen Thanh has been invested in and built synchronously, creating an important driving force to promote the industrialization and modernization of agriculture and rural areas.

Attracting JICA project to build canals in Yen Thanh. Photo: Van Truong

Up to now, Yen Thanh district has had 38/38 communes recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as meeting new rural standards, Yen Thanh town meeting urban civilized standards. Yen Thanh has also met 9/9 criteria for a new rural district including: planning, transportation, irrigation, health, culture, education, production, environment, security, and social order.

PV:Aiming to build an advanced and exemplary new rural area, what plans will Yen Thanh have in the coming time to achieve the set goals, comrade?
Comrade Nguyen Viet Hung:From the achievements, Yen Thanh District People's Committee continues to resolutely and synchronously implement solutions to maintain and improve the quality of the achieved NTM criteria in a substantial and sustainable manner; at the same time, focus on directing towards building advanced NTM and model NTM residential villages.
With the goal of building Yen Thanh into a model new rural district, by 2025, Yen Thanh strives for 50-60% of communes to meet advanced new rural standards, at least 3-5 communes to meet model new rural standards. Focus all resources to continue building and upgrading roads. By 2025, strive to have 100% of village, hamlet and alley roads asphalted or concreted. All roads are planted with flowers, built green, and have 50% of electric lights. The rate of hardening of main roads in the fields is over 90%.

Làm giao thông nội đồng ở Tăng Thành. Ảnh: Hồ Các

Making internal traffic in Tang Thanh. Photo: Ho Cac

Carry out site clearance well to serve the construction of the North Nghe An irrigation system upgrade project (JICA project) funded by Japan, the WB8 project, and the climate change program. By 2025, strive to have 40-50% of canals reinforced; 100% of dams upgraded to ensure safety.

Invest in building and upgrading classrooms and functional rooms to ensure that schools that have met standards are maintained, while increasing the number of schools that have met standards in the district to 95% by 2025. Implement socialized investment in clean water supply projects, rural markets, waste collection and treatment projects and some other public works, especially for projects with the ability to recover capital directly.

To achieve the above objectives, Yen Thanh district will update and supplement the development planning of the district and communes to keep up with the new situation; promote the application of information technology, effective administrative reform, transparency in the management and operation of the socio-economy in the area; effectively use investment resources, especially focusing on attracting and using investment resources of enterprises. Yen Thanh district also cares about, preserving, conserving and promoting traditional cultural values, building a cultural lifestyle in localities.

Yen Thanh attracts garment sector (Japanese garment factory).

PV:Yen Thanh district is often mentioned for its agricultural strengths. So, in your opinion, what should the locality do in the new period to promote this advantage in order to increase income criteria for the people?
Comrade Nguyen Viet Hung:Yen Thanh will effectively implement the "Agricultural development of Yen Thanh district associated with the National Target Program on new rural construction and restructuring of the agricultural sector towards sustainability by 2035 with a vision to 2050". Focus on promoting agricultural development towards commodities, quality, and food safety.

Promoting the advantages of each region, increasing the application of scientific and technical advances in production to adapt and respond to climate change. Developing agriculture in a clean and sustainable direction and applying VietGAP production processes on some crops such as vegetables, grapefruit, oranges, livestock such as chickens and pigs. Implementing the plan "One commune, one product", Yen Thanh is focusing on directing the effort to have additional products such as Vinh Hoa banh chung, Dong Thanh oranges, Trang Ke honey, Yen Thanh chicken to achieve provincial-level OCOP products in 2020, some district-level products such as eel, mushrooms, turmeric starch, etc.

Vườn ươm nhà lưới ở xã Tân Thành. Ảnh: Văn Trường

Net house nursery in Tan Thanh commune. Photo: Van Truong

Quickly introduce high-yield, high-quality rice varieties into production, form concentrated high-quality commercial rice production areas, follow the value chain, promote production linkages with product consumption, link production with building product brands and trademarks. Continue to expand the area of high-value crops such as oranges, grapefruits, guavas, etc. Strive to have an area of 650 - 700 hectares of oranges and grapefruits by 2025.

Expanding the agricultural area applying high technology to some types of vegetables, fruit trees, and rice, to increase productivity, quality, and product value, ensure food hygiene and safety, and increase competitiveness in the market. By 2025, strive to have a total herd of 44,000 buffaloes and cows, 160,000 pigs, and 3.5 million poultry.

A corner of Yen Thanh town. Photo: Sach Nguyen.

Yen Thanh will promote planting, intensive farming, improve forest economic efficiency, encourage the development of forest planting combined with livestock farming, and grow medicinal plants under the forest canopy.

Gradually convert from raw acacia forests, exploiting young timber to planting and trading, exploiting large timber forests associated with sustainable forest management and implementing forest certification (FSC). Strive to exploit 135,000 m3 of planted forest timber by 2025. Focus on intensive production of traditional aquaculture; expand the area and scale of raising high-value animals such as frogs, soft-shell turtles, monosex tilapia, red tilapia, black apple snails. Build the Yen Thanh eel brand.
Speed up the implementation of 2 projects: Livestock Breeding Development Company Limited (under TH Group) with an eco-tourism project combined with planting fruit trees and timber trees at Ve Vung Lake; a garment factory investment project with a scale of 7,000 - 8,000 workers in Cong Thanh commune...
PV:Thank you comrade!