80 heroic years of Nghe An Agriculture and Environment

From the years of war to the period of integration and development, in every stage, Nghe An's Agriculture and Environment sector has shown a strong role.

Under the leadership of the Party, the State, directly the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment , the Provincial Party Committee, the People's Council, the Provincial People's Committee, the Nghe An Agriculture and Environment sector has steadfastly fought against poverty, natural disasters, and enemies, thereby firmly entering the era of green and sustainable development.

The Department of Agriculture and Environment and Nghe An farmers have made important contributions to the country's development. Photo: Viet Khanh.

The process of construction and development of Nghe An Agriculture and Environment sector is summarized through 7 stages, these are milestones, memorable steps, full of hardships, challenges but full of pride.

The first phase (1945-1954) demonstrated the particularly important role of the industry in the resistance war against French colonialism. At this time, the economic picture of our country in general, and Nghe An in particular, was basically exhausted, trade stagnated, consumer goods were scarce, finances were empty, farmers lacked food, famine was rampant, people's lives were miserable, lacking in all aspects..., these were the serious consequences of the brutal "plunder" policy that Japan and France had thoroughly applied before.

Faced with the above situation, on September 3, 1945, the Government Council opened its first meeting. President Ho Chi Minh emphasized the two most important and urgent matters: "Famine relief in the North and resistance in the South".

During this period, the agricultural sector and farmers of Nghe An have gloriously fulfilled the mission of "the rear for the front", following Uncle Ho's teachings "fields are battlefields, hoes and plows are weapons, farmers are soldiers, the rear competes with the front" through typical movements such as "rice jars to feed the army; "rice fields for the army"; "two days of firewood collection"; "three days of fishing"...

Director of Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment, Mr. Hoang Quoc Viet (3rd from right), inspects the operation of Ban Ve Hydropower Plant in 2025. Photo: Viet Khanh.

In fact, it can be affirmed that Nghe An's agricultural sector made an important contribution to the victory of the resistance war against French colonialism by "relief from hunger on the spot" and actively supported the people of the North with 476,562 kg of rice (accounting for 24% of the total rice donated by the people of the North and 4 Central provinces).

In addition, responding to the "increasing production" movement, the Agriculture Department launched the slogan "every inch of land is gold", calling on all people to actively reclaim and expand the cultivated area. The process focused on irrigation, building embankments to retain water, preventing livestock and poultry diseases, taking care of production, protecting forests, launching a movement to plant trees for timber..., thereby providing the Government with 8,530 m3 of wood. In 1952, Nghe An was honored to have Mr. Hoang Hanh in Nam Linh commune, Nam Dan district, being awarded the title of Agricultural Hero.

Not only that, in the Dien Bien Phu campaign, Nghe An continued to demonstrate its role as a "strategic rear" by mobilizing over 32,000 laborers, 5,438 young men to join the army, providing over 4,500 tons of rice, 2,950 handkerchiefs, tens of thousands of boats, ox carts, bicycles, horses, buffaloes, cows... to serve the long-term resistance war.

The second period (1955-1975) was associated with the cause of building socialism, fighting against the destructive war of the American invaders and fighting to liberate the South and unify the country.

After the victory of the Dien Bien Phu campaign in 1954, the North entered the transition period to Socialism in the context of a poor, backward economy, and people's lives were lacking in all aspects. The agricultural sector made constant efforts to ensure production while serving and providing food for the people, supporting the battlefields in the South. The emulation movement against the US and saving the country took place vigorously with the slogan "each person works as two". The content of the cooperatives implemented the slogan "one hand holding the net, one hand holding the gun", "one hand holding the gun, one hand holding the plow". Women responded to the movement "three responsibilities"...

Ms. Vo Thi Nhung inspects the organic orange production model in Thanh Chuong. Photo: Viet Khanh.

2021 - 2025 is considered a pivotal period. Despite facing many difficulties due to the impact of natural disasters, epidemics (especially the Covid-19 pandemic), unpredictable climate change, many laws (Land Law, Bidding Law, Environmental Law, etc.), new policy changes, etc., Nghe An Agriculture and Environment sector quickly "integrated".

In 2025, the whole country will focus on implementing the policy of streamlining the apparatus with the goal of building a lean, transparent, effective and efficient political system. The overwhelming workload leads to immense pressure, which partly affects the implementation of professional tasks and socio-economic development targets of the whole industry.

However, with the attention and direction of the Central Government, the Provincial Party Committee, the People's Council, the Provincial People's Committee, the companionship and support of the business community and farmers, combined with the determination to overcome difficulties of the collective leadership, civil servants, public employees and workers in the whole industry, the bottlenecks have gradually been resolved. In particular, from March 1, 2025, the Department of Agriculture and Environment was officially established and put into operation on the basis of merging the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, this is a strategic step.

Looking back at the 2021-2025 period, it can be seen that many important targets of the industry have been achieved and exceeded the plan. Administrative reform and digital transformation are clearly demonstrated in all areas. The internal structure of the industry has a positive shift, the growth rate of agriculture - forestry - fishery in the whole period is estimated at 4.6%/year, agriculture continues to play a supporting role in the economy. The total production value of the industry in 2025 is estimated to reach over 45,000 billion VND, an increase of over 1.2 times compared to 2020. The poverty rate in rural areas decreases by an average of 1-1.5%/year.

Agricultural production has developed strongly along the value chain, applying high technology to adapt to climate change associated with the production and processing of high-value agricultural, forestry and fishery products. The whole province has 743 OCOP products with 3-star rating or higher, ranking 2nd in the country, many products have been exported to many potential markets in the world.

The participation of TH Group helps Nghe An own a high-quality dairy herd of 82,000 cows. Photo: Viet Khanh.

The livestock industry has shifted strongly from small-scale, scattered households to concentrated farms, applying high technology, ensuring effective implementation of disease prevention measures. Up to now, the whole province has 987 livestock farms, accounting for 30% of the total herd. Currently, Nghe An has an estimated total herd of dairy cows of 82,000, an increase of nearly 20% compared to 2020, with an estimated milk output of 360,000 tons, an increase of nearly 50% compared to 2020 output. Two large enterprises, TH Dairy Food Joint Stock Company and Vinamilk Dairy Company, have pioneered in creating a closed chain from production to purchasing, processing and distribution.

This period also marked a clear change in the effectiveness and efficiency of state management in the mineral sector. The management of planning and land use plans was strengthened. The quality of appraisal of applications for land allocation, land lease, issuance of land use right certificates, and registration of secured transactions was improved. The issuance of land use right certificates, house ownership rights and other assets attached to land for the first time for organizations, households and individuals in the province was basically completed. It is known that before Resolution 30/NQ-QH13, the rate of first-time issuance of certificates on the total area that needed to be granted in Nghe An was 61%, but now this figure has exceeded 91%.

The industry also does a good job of appraising dossiers for granting licenses for mineral exploration and exploitation, calculating fees for granting mineral exploitation rights. Organizing auctions for mineral exploitation rights to increase transparency in licensing procedures, as well as providing good sources of raw materials for key projects such as the North-South Expressway, WHA, VSIP, industrial parks, etc.

“Continuing the proud tradition of the past 80 years, with faith and aspiration to rise, the Nghe An Agriculture and Environment sector will continue to accompany the Party Committee, government and people in the cause of building Nghe An into a prosperous province, contributing to the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country.

From here, Nghe An agriculture and environment will enter a new phase, opening a new era - an era of strong growth, where land resources, forests, mountains, rivers, seas and the environment are exploited and protected in harmony, ensuring sustainable development,' affirmed Mr. Hoang Quoc Viet, Director of Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/80-nam-hao-hung-cua-nong-nghiep-va-moi-truong-nghe-an-d786725.html