Village in Yen Thanh collects fees for rice harvesting machines: Is there any 'protection racket' involved?

(Baonghean.vn) - The situation of brokers and protection rackets for rice harvesting machines has been occurring silently but is extremely complex in Yen Thanh district recently. To prevent this situation, various communes, including Bac Thanh, are currently employing different methods.

Stories from Bac Thanh

In recent days, information circulating in Bac Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district) about collecting 2 million VND per rice harvesting machine and requiring machine owners to sign a commitment in order to operate has caused negative public opinion.

As one of the people who called in, Mr. Nguyen Duy Bang - head of Hamlet 3 - said: In order to harvest rice for the villagers, he had to sign a commitment and pay 2 million VND as a field fee to the commune's police committee.

According to Mr. Bang, those who want to bring harvesting machines to harvest rice for the people must commit to harvesting the rice at the correct price. Specifically, for high-lying areas, the price should not exceed 160,000 VND/sao; for low-lying, deep areas, the price will be negotiated but should not exceed 180,000 VND/sao, to avoid the situation of zoning and protection rackets.

To operate, combine harvester owners must sign a commitment and pay 2 million VND to the People's Committee of Bac Thanh commune.

“In previous years, the situation of thugs extorting money from rice harvesting machine operators in the area caused great resentment among the people. Any machine operator who wanted to harvest rice had to pay them and harvest according to their demands. People who wanted to rent a machine had to wait for many days. The commune police have stepped in to ensure security and order, preventing the extortion and creating favorable conditions for the people as well as machine owners from other localities to operate,” Mr. Bang said.

Why did the commune's police force require owners or those who rent or rent the machines to sign a commitment and collect 2 million VND per machine? Mr. Tran Danh Luong, Chairman of the Bac Thanh Commune People's Committee, said: The purpose of requiring machine renters and owners to sign a commitment is to ensure security and order during rice harvesting, and to prevent acts of intimidation and property damage by malicious individuals. When incidents occur, the police force will intervene to resolve them, preventing disputes and fights.

"After receiving feedback, the commune reviewed the situation and found that assigning the commune police to collect money from those renting or owning harvesting machines was incorrect. The commune has notified and proceeded to return the money to those who signed the commitment," Mr. Luong said.

The people of Bac Thanh commune have benefited greatly after the commune implemented measures to prevent the problem of extortion involving rice harvesting machines.

Upon learning that reporters were investigating, Mr. Le Xuan Binh, head of Hamlet 6, stated: During the Winter-Spring crop season, due to protection rackets, people had to pay 180-240 thousand VND per sao (a unit of land measurement). However, in the Summer-Autumn 2016 crop season, the commune agreed on a price of 160-180 thousand VND per sao. The faster harvesting time, avoiding the impact of weather, has greatly benefited the people. Therefore, saying that the commune police are "protecting" the harvesting machines is incorrect. In my opinion, whatever benefits the people should be done; we shouldn't judge the essence of the problem based on superficial appearances.

The problem of extortion involving combine harvesters is a serious concern.

In reality, the situation of unscrupulous individuals acting as middlemen and extorting money from rice harvesting machine operators has been occurring in many localities in Yen Thanh district for many years. This situation takes place openly, defying authorities and causing difficulties for farmers every rice harvest season.

Mr. Nguyen Huu Bang, Head of the Bac Thanh Commune Police, stated: "Since the 2016 Winter-Spring crop season, the situation of extortion involving rice harvesting machines in the commune has become extremely complicated. Criminals manipulate and control prices, and illegally seize land, causing resentment among the people."

According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Bang, the head of the Bac Thanh commune police, criminals are willing to scatter steel wire in the fields to destroy machinery if they are prevented from doing so.

“For example, on August 31st, while Mr. Nguyen Van Huong from Bac Son hamlet was preparing to harvest crops for local residents using a combine harvester, two individuals came and threatened him, demanding 20,000 VND per sao (a unit of land measurement) before allowing him to operate. Upon learning of the incident, the commune's police force deployed personnel and apprehended one suspect, handing him over to the Yen Thanh district police for processing.”

In Hoa Thanh commune, the problem of extortion involving rice harvesting machines also occurred, causing concern among the people. At the beginning of the 2016 summer-autumn crop season, the Hoa Thanh General Service Cooperative signed contracts with those who hired the machines and the machine owners regarding the operation of harvesting machines in the area. According to the contract, each harvesting machine had to pay the cooperative 1.5 million VND as a field management fee and 5 million VND as a deposit to operate.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Trieu, Director of the Cooperative, stated: "The 1.5 million VND will be put into a common fund and will later be used to upgrade and renovate the canal system. The 5 million VND is for those who call for and own the machines to ensure they fulfill the terms of the contract regarding price, provide machines with sufficient capacity, harvest the entire specified area, and adhere to the harvesting schedule. If there are no violations, the cooperative will return this money after the contract ends. However, if there are violations, the deposit will not be refunded."

It is known that the Hoa Thanh General Service Cooperative has been signing contracts with those who call in the machine operators since the 2016 Winter-Spring crop season. After implementation, people in the commune were very supportive because the contracts created many advantages in harvesting rice and prevented the arbitrary price increases that had been happening for a long time. Not only did the people benefit, but those who called in the machines also agreed with this approach.

Mr. Nguyen Van Tan, from Tan Quang hamlet (Hoa Thanh commune), hired two rice harvesting machines from Thai Binh province to operate in the commune. To secure the machines, Mr. Tan paid the cooperative 3 million VND in fees and a 10 million VND deposit. “When we sign the contract and pay the money, the commune will ensure the machines operate correctly, preventing competition among the workers. Furthermore, the hamlet leader will provide the area on the map and inform the villagers to agree on the rice harvesting schedule,” Mr. Tan explained.

In Hoa Thanh commune, the cooperative will sign a contract and collect 1.5 million VND in fees and a 5 million VND deposit when operating in the area.

Returning to the issue in Bac Thanh commune, it must be affirmed that the commune's People's Committee's requirement for owners of harvesting machines to sign a commitment and pay 2 million VND before being allowed to operate is wrong. Although the commune's purpose was to ensure security and order, prevent protection rackets, and stabilize rice harvesting prices, the method was not in accordance with regulations and caused negative public opinion.

In Hoa Thanh commune, assigning cooperatives to act as intermediaries and sign service contracts to support the people's production activities is the right approach and needs further study to ensure proper implementation. However, the commune's refusal to allow harvesting machines not registered with the commune to harvest rice for the people is against regulations.

Concerned about this issue, Mr. Phan Van Tuyen – Chairman of the Yen Thanh District People's Committee – stated that finding a solution to prevent the problem of extortion by middlemen dealing with rice harvesting machines is crucial and extremely urgent. He acknowledged that the incident in Bac Thanh commune was wrong and negatively impacted the image of the local government. In the coming time, the district will continue to research and find the most optimal solution that ensures the smooth operation of people's production while simultaneously eliminating the problem of middlemen or extortion by rice harvesting machine brokers in the area.

Reporters' Team