Don Phuc Commune (Con Cuong District): Unlocking advantages, striving to escape poverty.

(Baonghean) - In the last days of May, as the summer sun spreads across the valleys, urging the rice fields to ripen to a golden yellow, farmers in Don Phuc commune are entering the harvest season. Joy and excitement are evident on every face, because this rice crop is bountiful, meaning the whole year will be prosperous, many households will no longer face hunger and poverty will be pushed back.

Rice cultivation is not Don Phuc's strength, as the area of ​​paddy fields here is small (the entire commune only has over 320 hectares), mostly located along large streams, insufficient to meet the needs of the farmers. Don Phuc's strength lies in developing its forest resources, particularly in planting timber forests. The previously barren hills have now given way to acacia and mahogany trees. Along the inter-communal road, vast expanses of green acacia forests stretch as far as the eye can see, a species that the locals hope will bring about a "life-changing" transformation for the farmers of Don Phuc. Many families here currently own around 10 hectares of acacia trees, which they expect to earn hundreds of millions of dong from in the next few years.

Mr. Lang Van Trung, from Phuc village (Don Phuc commune), invested in developing 11 hectares of hybrid acacia trees.

A prime example of a hardworking entrepreneur is Lang Van Trung from Phuc village, a young man who dared to think big and act boldly, determined to overcome poverty and achieve legitimate wealth. At 34 years old, Trung has amassed a fortune of 11 hectares of acacia trees, a herd of 11 buffaloes and cows, and hundreds of commercial chickens. He boldly borrowed capital to develop his farm, bringing in a substantial income and improving his economic situation. Following Lang Van Trung's example, many households in Don Phuc have expanded their acacia plantations and established buffalo and cattle farms, realizing that "the forest generates food and money." Currently, the area of ​​planted forests for timber production continues to increase, reaching thousands of hectares. Officials and residents of Don Phuc have identified acacia as the key tree in their economic development.

The people of Don Phuc have begun to exploit their advantages in livestock and poultry farming to accelerate household economic development. With a large forest area, it is favorable for developing farms and expanding herds of buffalo and cattle. In addition, Don Phuc also has land for growing corn, cassava, and sweet potatoes, which provide a significant source of feed for raising pigs and chickens. Many families have invested in building pig pens. A typical example is Ms. Nguyen Thi Sau in Hop Thanh village, whose family always has around 20 pigs in their pen, bringing in a large income. After deducting expenses, they earn tens of millions of dong per year to reinvest in production and build and purchase household amenities. Currently, Don Phuc commune has a total herd of about 2,000 buffalo and cattle, and about 2,500 pigs. Developing livestock and poultry farming is considered a suitable direction to leverage the advantages of human resources, customs, traditions, and feed sources, providing a stable source of income.

Along with leveraging its internal resources, Don Phuc has received significant investment in socio-economic development through poverty alleviation and infrastructure development programs and projects. In the past five years alone, the commune has received investment for the construction of 21 new projects and the maintenance and repair of 6 existing ones, totaling over 24 billion VND. This investment has focused primarily on basic infrastructure, irrigation, and rural transportation projects.

The road to Don Phuc commune (Con Cuong).

Implementing the national target program for building new rural areas, the Party committee and government have focused on effectively directing planning and planning management, achieving the criteria for planning, irrigation, electricity, universal education, and community cultural post offices. Particularly noteworthy is the construction of rural roads and inter-village roads. With state support in the form of cement, the commune mobilized the people to contribute 350 million VND, 3,600 man-days of labor, and donate nearly 1,000 m2 of land and 500 trees to build nearly 2.7 km of new inter-village roads. Currently, the inter-village road from Phuc village to Xieng village, over 1 km long, is under construction with an approved budget of over 1.85 billion VND. As a result, the rural transportation landscape in Don Phuc is showing significant improvement...

What worries the officials and people of Don Phuc district the most is that the current poverty rate remains at 50%, quite high compared to some other communes in the district. This stems from many causes, including a relatively low socio-economic starting point, previously difficult transportation, unfavorable terrain, and unpredictable weather patterns. In addition, the awareness, education, and capabilities of officials, Party members, and the people are not uniform. This is a significant obstacle to accelerating socio-economic development and improving the material and spiritual lives of the people.

Based on this reality, in the coming years, Don Phuc is determined to mobilize maximum resources to focus on socio-economic development. First and foremost, this involves effectively exploiting the potential of land and forest resources to develop paper raw materials; and applying scientific and technological advancements to livestock development. At the same time, it aims to rationally utilize supported capital to build infrastructure according to the national target program for building new rural areas and gradually escape poverty.

Vi Thanh Hai

(Secretary of the Party Committee of Don Phuc Commune)