Along the way to the center of Na Ngoi commune - a border area 36 km from the center of Ky Son district, we met groups of women carrying heavy bags of ginger from the fields, gathering them on National Highway 7. Ms. Luong Thi Hien - a Thai ethnic person in Pung village, Muong Ai commune said: We have no land to grow ginger, so when the harvest season comes, my husband and I go digging and carrying ginger for hire for the Mong people in Na Ngoi commune. We can carry 1 bag a day, 2 bags a day/person, but on average, my husband and I earn 1 million VND or more per day.
Seeing our surprise, Ms. Vu Y Rau, the owner of a 0.6-hectare ginger plantation in Buoc Mu 1 village, said: People in Na Ngoi commune not only earn income from growing ginger but also create jobs for other workers. The ginger harvest season in Na Ngoi commune has lasted from February until now, because the local laborers mainly go to work far away, many Mong households have hired Thai and Kho Mu people in neighboring areas to "carry" (carry - PV) ginger from the fields and transport it to the gathering place. After that, each bag of ginger will be weighed and the plantation owner will pay the hired person 6,000 VND/kg for digging and carrying ginger.
Mr. Xong Ba Denh - Chairman of Na Ngoi Commune People's Committee said: Ginger is currently the main crop in Na Ngoi Commune, in the first 6 months of 2023, the ginger growing area of Na Ngoi Commune reached 250 hectares. Last year, the price of ginger was low (5,000-6,000 VND/kg), this year is more positive, the price is slightly higher at 18,000 VND/kg. Besides ginger, many other agricultural products in Na Ngoi Commune such as cassava, taro or typical livestock products such as black chicken, black pig, local duck are also interested and consumed. "Today, the people of Na Ngoi Commune know how to take the initiative to do business and develop the economy, no longer relying too much on the support of the State" - Mr. Xong Ba Denh happily said.
Na Ngoi commune is a border area with 3 ethnic groups: Thai, Mong, Kho Mu living in 19 villages, of which Mong people account for 90%. Previously, due to the difficult traffic and roads, people did not know how to make a living, plus the mentality of waiting and relying, so although it is an area with a large area of cultivated land (19,310.16 ha of natural land, of which, agricultural land area is 6,651.20 ha, non-agricultural land area is 12,490.12 ha unused...) and the climate and soil are suitable for many types of plants and animals with high economic value. However, the lives of people in Na Ngoi commune are still surrounded by poverty.
In order for people to have a more prosperous life, the Party Committee and the government of Na Ngoi commune have coordinated with forces stationed in the area to synchronously deploy many flexible and suitable solutions, aiming to gradually awaken and exploit the potential and strengths of the locality. First of all, it is necessary to promote propaganda work, clear up thoughts, overcome the mindset of waiting and relying on others, strengthen close contact with the grassroots, mobilize people to change their way of thinking and working, actively eliminate hunger and reduce poverty. The local government has also led and directed the focus on developing economic models such as planting elephant grass, fattening buffaloes and cows, raising black chickens, black pigs, local geese, planting peaches, ginger, and Shan Tuyet tea.
Thanks to that, in recent years, Na Ngoi commune has made economic breakthroughs with many effective models. The annual rice cultivation area is 320 hectares, upland rice 257 hectares, corn 282 hectares, potatoes, cassava 284 hectares, vegetables of all kinds 9 hectares, elephant grass 412 hectares, tea 140 hectares. Besides promoting the strength of being one of the largest and second largest ginger granaries in Ky Son district, many households in Na Ngoi commune have boldly expanded the area of ornamental peach trees to sell downstream during Tet for income from tens to hundreds of millions of VND. Therefore, the area of ornamental peach trees in Na Ngoi commune is currently about 200 hectares, small households have a few hundred trees, large households have up to a few thousand trees. In addition, with support in seeds, people in Na Ngoi commune are developing a plum growing model with an area of 20 hectares.
According to Ms. Ho Y Mai - an agricultural officer of Na Ngoi commune, livestock development is also an advantage that brings income to the people. Currently, the whole commune has a total herd of 1,938 buffaloes, 1,815 cows, 352 pigs, and 9,316 poultry. People also promote the development of fish ponds with an area of 76,123 hectares, both serving daily food needs and selling to people in the area. In the area, there have appeared models of cultivation and livestock raising that bring high economic efficiency. Such as the tea growing model in the villages: Buoc Mu 1, Buoc Mu 2, Pu Kha; the black pig and black chicken raising model of the Women's Union of Tang Phan village...
If in the past, with self-sufficient production, the people of Na Ngoi commune only dreamed of "having enough to eat", now, thanks to knowing how to exploit the strengths of local agricultural products, the people's lives have been significantly improved. In the area, there have appeared households that "dare to think, dare to do", boldly investing to get rich on their homeland with an income of hundreds of millions of dong, such as the peach growing, medicinal herbs, and livestock farming model of Mr. Xong Ba Lau - Head of Buoc Mu village. As one of the few Mong people in Na Ngoi commune with a regular university degree (graduated from the Faculty of Economics - Agriculture, University of Economics, Hue University), Xong Ba Lau decided to return to his hometown to start a business. He started his business by buying a field to grow ornamental peach trees with more than 1,000 trees, developing a 1.5-hectare ginger field; raising dozens of buffaloes and cows. Xong Ba Lau is also one of the leading households in growing medicinal herbs with a garden of more than 1,000 Panax notoginseng plants, hundreds of Phuxailaileng ginseng roots and more than 1 hectare of Angelica sinensis. Currently, many people in the village and commune have learned to follow Xong Ba Lau's business model for stable income...
According to the Chairman of the People's Committee of Na Ngoi Commune, Xong Ba Denh, the process of awakening the potential and creating a change in the socio-economic development of this border commune is a long journey. In addition to the efforts of cadres, party members and people, it is necessary to mention the attention and support of the Party Committee, authorities, departments and branches at all levels, first of all in terms of infrastructure; convenient roads and traffic, so that agricultural products and goods produced by the people are consumed more conveniently. Besides, there is the help of forces stationed in the area such as the National Defense Economic Group 4, the Youth Volunteer Force 10, and the Na Ngoi Border Guard Station. They not only help the cadres and people of Na Ngoi Commune change their old ways of thinking and doing, but also support plants, seeds, materials, and guide the application of science and technology in cultivation and production, gradually supporting the Party Committee and authorities in implementing hunger eradication and poverty reduction.
For the 4th National Defense Economic Group (Military Region 4), attached to the land of Na Ngoi since 2002, the officers and soldiers of the group not only persistently "stick with 3, work together with 4" to help local people gradually abandon the "destroy, burn, trim, and prune" farming method, actively change the structure of crops and livestock, exploit the available potential to the fullest through developing models of growing ginger, shan tuyet tea, taro, cassava... but also directly act as intermediaries, purchasing agricultural products grown by local people, helping to solve both input and output problems for the people.
Na Ngoi Border Guard Station has selected experienced officers who are knowledgeable about customs, practices, farming, and animal husbandry, and assigned them to be in charge of each village, both to propagate and popularize the State's policies and laws, and to directly help households build economic models to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty. Mr. Xong Nhia Vu's family in Buoc Mu 1 village is one of the households supported by the green-uniformed army to build a model of growing green vegetables. After the initial confusion, up to now, Mr. Xong Nhia Vu and his family members have mastered the seasonal farming process, from land improvement, bed planning, to sowing and care. His vegetable garden of more than 200 square meters not only provides enough daily green vegetables for his family but also sells them to the market to serve the villagers, bringing in a stable source of income. Along with growing vegetables, Mr. Xong Nhia Vu also received support from the army in building barns to change from free-range farming to cage farming. “Since the border guards guided me to change the farming method, my family no longer worries about animals getting lost or stolen, and taking care of and preventing diseases for animals is much easier than before,” Mr. Xong Nhia Vu shared.
The people of Na Ngoi commune used to only know how to grow upland rice. Thanks to the soldiers' "hand-holding" and guidance, now the rate of wet rice cultivation in Na Ngoi commune is higher than upland rice with 2 crops per year. The people know how to take advantage of the land to grow vegetables, raise buffaloes and cows in a concentrated manner, promote economic development, eliminate hunger, reduce poverty, build new rural areas, actively participate in protecting national border security and sovereignty, contributing to building a strong border area.
Implementing "skillful mass mobilization" in hunger eradication and poverty reduction, cadres and party members in the area always set an example and take the lead in economic development for the villagers to follow. For example, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Xong Ba Denh commune - a typical young man who is good at economics, with a model of raising buffaloes and cows, growing ginger for an income of hundreds of millions of dong. In addition to developing the household economy, when he was the Secretary of the Commune Youth Union, Xong Ba Denh also implemented a collective ginger growing model in 19 village youth unions to create a source of operating funds. In 2019, Xong Ba Denh was honored to receive the Luong Dinh Cua Award presented by the Central Youth Union to outstanding young farmers. Currently, the family of the Chairman of the People's Committee of Xong Ba Denh commune is still one of the pioneering households in the economic development movement in Na Ngoi commune, with a model of growing ginger, raising buffaloes and cows, planting 3,200 peach trees and doing business services.
According to the sharing of prestigious people in the villages, compared to before, the life of the people of Na Ngoi commune has changed a lot, some households have income of hundreds of millions of dong; the appearance of the village is also more beautiful, with many new-style stilt houses, the internal traffic system is well invested. Although still facing many difficulties, because the rate of poor households is still high (accounting for 59%), near-poor households (11%), the Party Committee and the government of Na Ngoi commune have been and are considering many open directions to promote socio-economic development, hunger eradication and poverty reduction.
Accordingly, the commune will focus on expanding the area of industrial crops with high economic efficiency suitable for the soil conditions of each region, expanding the area of clean vegetable cultivation on the fields; expanding the area of arrowroot along the lines of the villages: Phu Kha 1, Phu Kha 2, Na Cang; bo bo varieties in the villages: Phu Quac 1, Phu Quac 2; ginger along the lines of the villages: Buoc Mu 1, Buoc Mu 2, Xieng Xi; cassava along the lines of the villages: Phu Quac 1, 2, 3 and Huoi Xai. At the same time, developing medicinal plants such as Phuxailaileng ginseng, fo-ti, codonopsis, 7-leaf ginseng, and panax notoginseng along the lines of the villages: Buoc Mu, Buoc Mu 1, Buoc Mu 2... to strive to build specialized production areas for local crops.
Currently, in the area, there are many households boldly growing medicinal herbs on a large scale such as: Gia Tong Thu, Xong Giong Mao, Xong Ba Lau... In particular, if in the past, the people of Na Ngoi commune did not imagine developing tourism, now with the attention and direction of the District Party Committee, the District People's Committee, departments and branches at all levels, the Na Ngoi commune government has paid attention to developing eco-tourism, community tourism, building tourist huts at the top of Phuxailaileng...
“There are still many difficulties, but if there is determination, there is consensus between the Party Committee, the government and the people, there will be a way, a direction…”, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Na Ngoi Xong Ba Denh commune shared with us. We believe that with the innovation in thinking and working methods in economic development, hunger eradication and poverty reduction, the potential of Na Ngoi land will be awakened and the villages at the foot of Phuxailaileng mountain will have a new color – the color of hope, prosperity and peace.
