Yen Thanh breaks the monoculture of rice

(Baonghean) -As the largest rice granary in Nghe An province, Yen Thanh people have a lot of experience in rice cultivation and are also quick to approach modern production methods, thanks to which rice productivity and quality are constantly increasing. However, in order to have long-term development, the district has taken steps to shift the economic structure reasonably, breaking the monoculture of rice.

Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee, Mr. Nguyen Sy Hung said: The way forward for a purely agricultural district like Yen Thanh must be from agriculture. In recent years, thanks to the right measures and increasingly intensive farming techniques, although the rice area has not changed (25,000 hectares), the rice yield has increased from 7-8 tons/ha in the 2000s to 11 tons/ha/year. Besides, in a rice district like Yen Thanh, livestock farming has an extremely important position, because there is a very close relationship between livestock farming and agricultural production, from livestock farming there will be a source of fertilizer for intensive crop cultivation and vice versa. Over the past many years, the total herd of pigs and buffaloes has increased proportionally with the rice yield, the current herd of buffaloes is 22,000 and the herd of cows is 23,000.

However, despite the strong changes, in order to continue to develop new rural areas, Yen Thanh rice district has implemented appropriate and "long-term" plans, not only ensuring food security in all situations, but also having surplus to develop livestock and produce goods. To achieve this goal, with 25,000 hectares of rice, the district has directed the planting of 90% of high-yield, good-quality hybrid rice varieties in the spring crop and 40-50% in the summer-autumn crop. In addition, some specialty rice varieties are planted for production. In addition, focusing on building new rural areas in a civilized and modern direction on the basis of inheriting existing values.

To do that, the district encourages people to renovate and build new houses according to the planning requirements, clean and beautiful, especially encouraging households with large livestock to build biogas tanks, which will then be replicated throughout the district. On the basis of "The State and the people work together", step by step, the electricity system, roads, schools and stations are completed to ensure the requirements. Up to now, the whole district has built 350 km of standard roads, of which 40% are paved. 100% of households have access to electricity, and low-voltage power stations in areas with high electricity demand are continuing to be invested in and built.

For a district with over 80,000 rural workers while almost only monoculture rice and livestock, ensuring employment and income is an extremely difficult problem. Mr. Phan Van Tuyen - Vice Chairman of the District People's Committee said: Determining the importance of job creation, the district attaches special importance to vocational training. First of all, upgrading and establishing a vocational training college with diversified training majors to meet the needs of workers. In addition, the district has many incentive policies and creates all conditions for workers to both learn a trade and borrow capital to export labor.

Thanks to that, each year Yen Thanh has 1,100-1,500 people going abroad to work and bringing back to their hometown about 20 million USD/year. Currently, the district is also very interested in developing a very advantageous profession which is processing and trading agricultural products and food; restoring some existing craft villages and opening new ones. Currently, the whole district has restored 12 old craft villages such as making clay pots, weaving mats, weaving, bricks and tiles... At the same time, it continues to build many new craft villages of rattan weaving, embroidery, vermicelli and cakes..., contributing significantly to solving employment and increasing income for the people.

In addition, to develop the economy and create a new look for the countryside, in recent years, Yen Thanh has advocated strongly developing commercial and service centers. Consolidating, refurbishing and expanding a number of markets and towns. In particular, the district is currently piloting the mobilization and encouragement of individuals and businesses to invest in building or cooperating to build a commercial center, restaurant, 4-storey supermarket, a solid market hall and many shops for rent in the Bong Market area (on Highway 7). From the success of this model, other models will be deployed in central locations with convenient traffic throughout the district.

Phu Huong