Poverty reduction to reduce migration

(Baonghean) -With the attention and support of the State and project programs, in recent years, the remote district of Ky Son has been making efforts to focus on poverty reduction to gradually reduce migration, replant opium, fight drug trafficking, and stabilize border security.

In the border commune of Nam Can, although there are places that lack flat land for production, lack water, and have extremely difficult traffic connections between villages, the ethnic people here still unite to overcome difficulties, rise up to eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, cling to the land, and maintain the security and sovereignty of the Fatherland's borders. Along the hillsides covered with clouds all year round are corn and green upland rice. Mr. Ho Nhia is quite famous for being good at economics in Nam Can. When I arrived, he was washing his newly purchased car. Mr. Nhia generously said: "It's all thanks to raising local cows. My family currently has 16 cows, mainly raised in concentrated farms. To proactively source food, I grow 1.5 hectares of elephant grass, selling 10-12 cows each year, earning about 350 million VND." Ms. Ly Y Zo in Tien Tieu village is feeding her black pigs and confides: “Flat land in Tien Tieu is very rare, so my husband and I had to renovate and build 2 black pig pens on the mountainside. Up to now, the family raises 1 sow and 10 pigs; not to mention 10 local cows, which are sold for 30-35 million VND/head. Every year, after deducting the cost of raising pigs, the family makes a profit of 120-150 million VND.”

Chicken farming model in Muong Xen Town.

It can be said that Nam Can is one of the leading communes in the movement to promote the conservation of native cows, black pigs, and black chickens into commodities with high economic value. Currently, the whole commune has over 3,700 cows, of which over 50% are local breeds. The herd of pigs is about 4,000, mainly black pigs. Mr. Ho Chong Nhia - Chairman of Nam Can Commune People's Committee said: In recent years, Nam Can has also introduced hybrid corn to grow on sloping land. The whole commune has over 150 hectares of VN10 corn, with an average yield of 4 tons/ha/year (over 80 million VND/ha). Lau Y Xeng said: The family grows 3 sao of corn, and sells it for about 4-5 million VND each year, which is also used as animal feed for more than 10 pigs and over 30 black chickens.

In the past two years, Nam Can has also boldly experimented with growing Dalat lilies. Initially, two households have grown very well, investing 6-7 million VND to grow lilies with a profit of 15-20 million VND/year. Lilies are planted from the 9th lunar month, mainly serving the Tet market. This year, Nam Can will expand the lily growing model to over 30 households. Mr. Ho Chong Nhia added: Every type of crop and livestock in Nam Can has been invested in and supported by the State, such as corn seeds, cows, and pigs. Basically, people have been effective. Thanks to economic stability, illegal migration has decreased significantly. In the first 6 months of the year, no households have migrated illegally. Since 2010, 4 households in Huoi Poc village have returned from Laos, especially households Ly Ba Ka and Ly Ba Re who have returned and are good at raising cows.

Huoi Tu and Muong Long communes are communes with a large number of households migrating to Laos. In recent years, thanks to the attention and investment of the State, these communes have exploited their potential to develop crops and livestock effectively. Such as developing Shan Tuyet tea trees, raising cattle, buffaloes, and black chickens. Many households who migrated back to do business well, such as Mr. Ho Nenh Cho in Huoi Dun - Huoi Tu, who raises 5 cows, and Mr. Vu Xanh, who bought a truck worth over 300 million VND to transport goods...

Mr. Bui Tram - Chairman of the People's Committee of Ky Son district said: With reasonable investment policies of the State, along with the efforts of ethnic minorities, people in border communes in Ky Son are increasingly improving their lives. In recent years, Ky Son has received attention from the State for investment in infrastructure development, especially the transportation system, where the socio-economic development has been developed. Key routes have been completed and put into use such as: Muong Xen - Tay Son route, 12 km long, thanks to transportation, Tay Son has exploited the potential for economic development such as growing taro, raising pigs for goods... Then Xieng Thu - Bao Thang route is 27 km long, Muong Long - Muong Xen route is 40 km long, Pha Xac - My Ly route is 15 km, Huoi Kha - Bac Ly route is 11 km.

At this time, the whole district has 9 communes invested in the national grid. With the development of transportation and the change in crop structure, Ky Son has many effective seedlings. Specifically, in the past, people in Ky Son mainly grew traditional corn varieties, with low productivity and long harvest time. Since 2009, the district has introduced hybrid corn into production. Up to now, the whole district has over 3,000 hectares of hybrid corn, most concentrated in the communes of Huu Lap, Nam Can, Huoi Tu, Keng Du... The average yield is 45 - 50 quintals/sao, the output is very easy to consume, traders bring their own trucks to buy. Ms. Lo Thi Nhung in Na Loi village, Na Loi commune, a famous corn trader shared: "In the 2012 corn season, I bought about 80 tons of corn, hired a car to transport it to the place at a price of 2,300 VND/kg, and sold it in Muong Xen town for 3,500 VND/kg of corn."

The whole district has over 230 hectares of wet rice, mainly concentrated in the communes of Chieu Luu, Huu Kiem, Huu Lap... Ky Son has focused on training and transferring science and technology to ethnic minorities, such as building wet rice production models using green manure, taking advantage of buffalo, cow and pig manure, thanks to which the rice yield reaches 40-42 tons/ha. For example, Ms. La Thi Ty's household reclaimed 7 sao of wet rice along Na Dua stream, thanks to focusing on intensive farming, the yield reached 220-280 kg/sao. Mr. Moong Bien Phong in La Ngan village, Chieu Luu commune invested over 100 million VND to build irrigation to irrigate over 12 sao of wet rice... Ky Son also boldly planted ginger on over 350 hectares concentrated in the communes of Na Ngoi, Nam Can...

In 2013, ginger was a big hit, Ky Son harvested over 7,000 tons of ginger, mainly from traders who came to the place to buy at an average price of 6,000-6,500 VND/kg. Not to mention that the youth settlement villages in Na Ngoi and Huoi Tu are increasingly effective. In particular, the Na Ngoi youth settlement village has introduced lily and salmon into the experiment. At the Youth Volunteer Team 8 and Huoi Tu commune, there are over 850 hectares of Shan Tuyet tea. Ky Son also exploited the potential to develop the medicinal plant bo bo, this is a natural plant that mainly grows in Nam Can, Huoi Tu, Tay Son with over 300 hectares. Thanks to bo bo, many households have improved their lives, it is known that the selling price of fresh bo bo seeds is 12,000 VND/kg.

Taking advantage of the land potential, Ky Son has developed a strong herd of commercial cows. In 2004, the whole district had only 30,000 cows, but now there are over 45,000. The State's timely support projects include: supporting poor families with breeding animals, providing elephant grass seeds for people to plant, free vaccination, training on livestock raising techniques... In many communes, people have learned how to build barns and limit free-range grazing. Many people have also learned how to fatten cows with starch.

For the 4 communes of Muong Tip, Muong Ai, Na Ngoi, Nam Can, with an area of ​​55,725 hectares, this is an area where 4 ethnic groups (Mong, Thai, Kho Mu, Kinh) live, life still faces many difficulties. Border guards and authorities at all levels have stepped up propaganda to help change people's awareness, mobilizing people from the high mountains to live on flat land that is convenient for exchanging goods. Building models of raising pigs, cows and growing wet rice for people to follow...

Ky Son has made a clear change, the poverty rate was 72% before 2012, now it has decreased to 61.5%. However, Ky Son is still a particularly difficult district, in great need of the State's attention and assistance so that ethnic minorities can quickly eliminate hunger and reduce poverty.

Article and photos: Van Truong