Removing difficulties to promote the effectiveness of rubber trees in Nghe An

(Baonghean) - From the first rubber trees planted on Nghe An land in October 2010 until now, after 6 years of project implementation, Nghe An Rubber Investment and Development Joint Stock Company has had 4,350 hectares of green rubber growing well. However, in order for the Company to complete the planting of 10,700 hectares in 2018 according to the approved plan, the unit still has to face many difficulties and challenges...

Effectiveness of the Rubber Planting Project

Having a precarious life and no stable job, in 2014, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Phuong and his wife, from Hanh Lam commune (Thanh Chuong) were hired as workers at TNXP 2 Rubber Farm. They received 40 hectares of rubber to plant and take care of, overcoming the initial difficulties with this strange crop in this land. Now, after just over 2 years, the efforts of this young couple have been duly compensated; each month, from the rubber garden, they have a stable income of 20 million VND on average, which is truly a dream number for farmers in this vast mountainous land that used to be full of reeds and bamboo.

Taking care of rubber nursery in Anh Son district.

After 6 years, the first rubber trees were planted on Thanh Duc commune's land, from the midland hills of Thanh Chuong and Anh Son districts to the high mountains of Que Phong district, rubber trees have covered the land with a lush green color.

On the land area received for handover in the above 3 localities, over the past 6 years, Nghe An Rubber Investment and Development Joint Stock Company has organized land reclamation and newly planted 4,350 hectares of rubber trees, on average each worker is contracted to take care of 10 hectares of basic construction rubber. Mr. Pham Viet Duy - Director of Que Phong 1 Rubber Farm shared: Thanks to the application of technical measures, especially technical measures for taking care of rubber trees on sloping land, ensuring density and uniformity, up to now the entire rubber area has grown and developed very well, which has been highly appreciated by the group and the company.

The rubber plantation planning area of ​​Nghe An Rubber Investment and Development Joint Stock Company is mainly poor and reedy forest areas. Although it is far from the sea and not affected by storms, has land fund to develop concentrated raw material areas as well as abundant labor resources, but these are also areas with poor infrastructure, backward production practices, and mainly manual labor.

Mr. Tran Ngoc Thang - General Director of the company shared: After the project was implemented, with the attention of the province, all levels, sectors and especially the 3 districts where the project was implemented, along with the efforts of all employees of the company, up to now, on the land area that has been handed over, the unit has planted 4,350 hectares of rubber, of which the area planted in 2010 and 2011 is 220 hectares. The whole company has 5 farms, 620 employees, of which 520 are direct workers, mainly local people, ethnic minority children account for 34%.

In addition to the current average income of 4.2 million VND/person/month, households also intercrop valuable economic plants such as ginger, turmeric, beans, and aromatic roots or develop livestock to increase income. Up to now, the company has invested in building more than 300 km of graded roads, including nearly 200 km of road blocks and inter-block roads, more than 100 km of roads combining latex transportation and serving people's lives, and a bridge and culvert system, contributing significantly to shortening the travel distance between remote communes and the district center. "Over the past 5 years, rubber prices have fluctuated in a downward direction, so the Vietnam Rubber Industry Group and the company have had to adjust their investment rates appropriately, including the unit price of wages, leading to many difficulties in the lives and incomes of workers.

Taking care of rubber nursery in Anh Son district.

However, since the second quarter of 2016 and especially in the first days of 2017, rubber prices have gradually warmed up to 50 million VND/ton, nearly double the bottom price at the end of 2015, and are forecast to continue to warm up. Meanwhile, from 2017 we will start exploiting over 220 hectares of rubber planted in 2010 and 2011, and along with that, the first rubber processing factory with a capacity of 5,000 tons/year will be built in Anh Son.

It is expected that by 2019 and 2020, when mass latex tapping begins, with an expected yield of 1.8-2 tons of latex/ha/year, the company will have about 8,000 tons of latex per year on the currently planted areas. We will continue to build more processing factories in Thanh Chuong" - Mr. Tran Ngoc Thang said.

Project progress not guaranteed

Up to now, after 6 years of land handover decision, Nghe An Rubber Investment and Development Joint Stock Company has only planted 4,350 hectares of rubber, while according to the plan, by 2018 the unit will complete planting on the entire planned area. In 2015 and 2016 alone, the company has only planted 480 hectares out of the group's plan of 2,300 hectares.

Over the years, the company has done a good job of compensating and supporting households in the project area in accordance with the law and ensuring the highest level of benefits for people returning land. As of December 22, 2016, the company has received nearly 5,500 hectares with a total compensation and support payment of more than VND 82 billion. On the area planned by the Provincial People's Committee, the company has planted 4,350 hectares of rubber.

Reality has proven that rubber trees are very suitable for the soil and climate here, and are more highly valued than the gardens of companies belonging to the Group in the Central Coast region. However, although the province has committed to working with investors to resolve difficulties and create favorable conditions for the company's project to be completed on schedule, up to now, the enterprise still faces many difficulties and obstacles. On the land area recovered from the former Anh Son Forestry Company, the joint ventures have not yet completed the handover, causing delays in the progress of compensation and site clearance of the project and affecting the plan to plant new rubber trees.

Taking care of rubber nursery in Anh Son district.

In Thanh Chuong district, according to Decision 2953 transferring the status of the Youth Volunteer Force II to Nghe An Rubber Development Investment Joint Stock Company, since 2015, the company has been allowed by the Provincial People's Committee to convert 940 hectares of depleted production forest to rubber plantation. The company has hired a consulting unit to design and exploit 470 hectares, but up to now, after nearly 2 years, the unit has not been licensed by the competent authority.

In Que Phong, according to the Decision No. 4081 dated September 13, 2013 of the People's Committee of Nghe An province approving the adjustment and supplementation of the rubber tree planning of Nghe An Rubber Development Investment Joint Stock Company in Que Phong district, the planned area for rubber planting in the period of 2013 - 2020 is 3,089 hectares. However, up to now, Que Phong and Que Phong 1 farms have only planted 900 hectares. The reason is that local authorities have not really taken drastic action in propaganda, mobilization and other measures to clear the land and hand over the land to the company for new planting. In the planning, there is also an overlap between rubber planting land and some other crops or other uses.

To implement the Resolution of the 18th Provincial Party Congress, the target of planting 17,000 hectares of rubber in the whole province by 2020, Nghe An Rubber Investment and Development Joint Stock Company is still the main unit. 6 years is not a long time, but with the determination of the Vietnam Rubber Industry Group to bring rubber trees to Uncle Ho's homeland, with the attention of the province, all levels, sectors and localities in the project area, the company has planted over 4,000 rubber trees, contributing to the locality to solve jobs for workers, stabilizing the local economy and society.

With the results achieved, along with the positive signals of the market and the trend of linking development and consumption of rubber products between rubber growing countries in the world, it is hoped that this will be an effective direction in the economic development of the mountainous region of Nghe An. In order to achieve this goal, the company really needs attention and participation, removing difficulties and obstacles to help the unit smoothly implement the project.

Phu Huong