Making breakthroughs in agricultural production.

(Baonghean) - Implementing the Provincial Party Committee's Directive on promoting land consolidation and exchange and encouraging land accumulation for large-scale agricultural production, Thanh Chuong district now has 34 out of 38 communes that have completed land consolidation and exchange, creating a breakthrough in agricultural production...

In Thanh Dong commune, the changes are clearly noticeable. The fields are no longer cluttered with narrow, cramped boundaries as before. Mr. Nguyen Doan Thao, Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Dong commune, happily stated: "To date, all 10 villages in Thanh Dong commune have completed the land allocation process to individual households. Specifically, 350 households received land in one area; 507 households received land in two areas; and only 21 households received land in three areas. All previously barren land with low productivity, lack of irrigation water, and difficult transportation, which people either didn't receive or didn't cultivate, has now been allocated, and the people have improved it and put it into production."

Previously, the area only had small family farms, but now there are five integrated fish-rice farming and livestock farms, such as the farm of Mr. Tran Van Sau in Hamlet 6, the farm of Mr. Tran Van Thai in Hamlet 10, and the farm of Mr. Thai Van Hoi in Hamlet 8... Mr. Tran Van Thai said: “The people in the area are very excited about the land consolidation and accumulation policy. Therefore, people dare to invest boldly. My family, after receiving 2.7 hectares of leased land, spent nearly 300 million VND to build the farm and now has completed the basic stages such as embankment, roads, and has also harvested 5 quintals of fish.”

It is known that, due to the limited area of ​​arable land in the commune, the uneven soil quality, and the difficulty in water retention in terraced fields, Thanh Dong commune faced many difficulties in the initial stages of implementation. The majority of households were unwilling to accept fields that were far away, of poor quality, and had poor irrigation and transportation access. However, under the unified leadership and strong determination of the Party committee and government, and with a democratic and fair approach based on the interests of each household – those who received good, nearby fields received smaller areas, while those who received poor, distant fields received larger areas – the people unanimously supported the initiative.

The integrated farm model of Mr. Tran Van Thai's family, Hamlet 10,
Thanh Dong commune.

It can be said that not only Thanh Dong commune but also many communes and towns throughout Thanh Chuong district have implemented land consolidation and exchange in a good, creative way, promoting democracy and creating high consensus among the people, contributing to a new breakthrough in agricultural production. Many localities such as Thanh Khai, Thanh Lien, Thanh Hung, Thanh Ngoc, Thanh Luong, Thanh Linh, Dong Van... have implemented the conversion quite quickly and efficiently. This is the result of the implementation process where Party committees and authorities at all levels have strictly followed the steps, from preparing and adjusting the planning to constructing internal field transportation and irrigation systems according to the agreed-upon plan; organizing land inventory, reviewing the number of households and people, grouping them by lottery to receive land at the new location, and creating temporary land ownership registers. Besides disseminating information about policies and their common and individual benefits, localities have also focused on guiding people to choose land areas based on their specific human resources and economic conditions, so that they can invest in production effectively in each farming area and develop suitable economic models.

To date, 34 out of 38 communes in the district have completed the land allocation process to individual households for production, averaging 1-3 plots per household, making Thanh Chuong a leading district in implementing Directive 08 of the Provincial Party Committee. The people of the district have contributed over 3,700,000 square meters of land and over 300,000 man-days of labor to build roads and irrigation systems; the total volume of excavation and embankment for roads and irrigation systems has reached over 1,900,000 cubic meters. The district has opened over 250 km of new roads; upgraded and expanded 550 km of rural roads; and opened, upgraded, and expanded over 200 km of canals and ditches... Following the transformation, people have boldly invested in purchasing multi-functional plows for production, and the district now has over 300 of them.

Speaking with us, Mr. Phan Dinh Ha, Vice Chairman of the Thanh Chuong District People's Committee, happily stated: Thanh Chuong District began implementing the second phase of the land consolidation project in June 2010. To date, the success of land consolidation has contributed to a new look for many rural areas in the district. The previous fragmentation of land has been overcome, forming several concentrated production areas, encouraging farmers to invest in and apply scientific and technological advancements to increase production value, and creating a shift in the agricultural and rural economic structure towards commodity production.

However, besides the communes that have completed the land consolidation process, some communes in Thanh Chuong district are currently facing difficulties. For example, in Thanh Phong commune, some households have not yet agreed with the conversion policy, so only 14 out of 17 hamlets have been completed. Mr. Nguyen Van Ngoc, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune, said: Currently, three hamlets (1B, 2B, and 5B) have not been completed because the role of some officials has not been fully utilized, and some households who previously received good, nearby land do not want to continue the conversion.

In Thanh Tuong commune, the land consolidation process has not been completed to date because two out of eight hamlets have not agreed to it. Given the commune's specific characteristics, it's impossible to carry out the consolidation separately for each hamlet. Mr. Nguyen Huu Cong, a resident of Hamlet 7, stated: "While the majority of residents want the consolidation to create a single area, facilitating production, some households disagree, causing a standstill throughout the commune."

The difficulties currently faced in Thanh Phong and Thanh Tuong communes are hindering land consolidation efforts in Thanh Chuong district. In the coming period, the district needs to focus more on directing communes that still have ideological obstacles and lack consensus on the conversion plan, quickly discussing and persuading people to reach a consensus on land consolidation.

Text and photos: Dang Nguyen