The path out of poverty in Ta Xi Lang

With a determination to achieve sustainable poverty alleviation and narrow the development gap, Ta Xi Lang commune, a particularly disadvantaged mountainous area with one of the highest poverty rates in the province, is gradually finding a path that suits its specific characteristics.

For nearly a month now, Ta Xi Lang has been much busier as traders from Hai Phong and Hanoi have come to buy peach blossoms and local buffaloes. This is the result of practical research and the identification of a suitable development direction by the local Party Committee and government.

Comrade Tran Binh Trong, Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Ta Xi Lang commune, shared: "Everyone knows about the difficulties of Ta Xi Lang. But when we look closely at the natural conditions, climate, and people, we realize that the locality has many unique advantages. When we find the right direction, difficulties are no longer obstacles but become motivation."

Located at an altitude of over 1,500 meters above sea level, the cold climate and large temperature fluctuations have created unique products in Ta Xi Lang. Taking advantage of this, in 2021, the commune's Party Committee issued a thematic resolution on socio -economic development for the period 2021-2025, identifying the transformation of crop and livestock structures towards commercial production, focusing on peach blossom cultivation and the breeding of indigenous buffaloes.

Traders come to Ta Xi Lang to buy peach blossoms.

Mr. Ho A Do, Secretary of the Youth Union of Ta Xi Lang commune, is one of the pioneers. On land previously used for growing corn and rice with low yields, he boldly switched to planting over 500 peach trees. After three years, the trees bloomed, and he actively promoted and encouraged Youth Union members and young people to follow suit.

Mr. Do said: "Growing rice or corn barely provides enough food to eat. Meanwhile, after 2-3 years, a peach blossom branch can sell for 300,000-400,000 VND, and a beautiful tree can fetch up to 4-5 million VND, or even tens of millions of VND."

The peach blossoms in Ta Xi Lang have a soft, pale pink color, thick petals, large blooms, and last a long time, making them popular in the market.

Along with peach cultivation, raising native buffaloes is becoming an important livelihood. The family of Mr. Vang A Lang, in Ta Cao village, has risen out of poverty thanks to this model.

Mr. Lang shared: “This year, for the Lunar New Year peach blossom season, my family sold nearly 20 peach trees and several dozen branches. In addition, we also sold two buffaloes, bringing in nearly 80 million VND.”

Mr. Vang A Lang (on the right) escaped poverty by raising native buffaloes and growing peach trees.

The native buffaloes of Ta Xi Lang are large and strong, and are purchased by traders at prices 10-15% higher than the market rate. The abundant grass supply, even in winter, creates favorable conditions for the development of buffalo breeding.

To date, the entire commune has developed over 20 hectares of peach orchards and more than 950 native buffaloes, bringing the total number of main livestock to 4,465.

In January 2026, using funds from the National Target Program, the commune provided support to 24 poor and near-poor households, giving each household 3 buffaloes for fattening.

Alongside developing production, the commune has focused on investing in infrastructure.

During the period 2021-2025, the commune opened 16 km of new roads, and nearly 7 km of internal village roads were concreted. The national power grid has reached 4 out of 5 villages, with 62.8% of households having access to electricity; the rate of trained laborers reached over 50%; and 99.5% of the population participated in health insurance...

As a result, the poverty rate decreased by an average of 7% per year. By 2025, the entire commune will have 50.12% of households classified as poor (210 households) and 9.31% classified as near-poor (39 households).

Nevertheless, Ta Xi Lang still faces many challenges. The terrain is heavily fragmented, natural disasters are frequent, and transportation remains difficult; only 2 out of 5 villages have concrete roads. The entire commune only has 106 hectares of rice and 340 hectares of corn; the majority of the land is forest. The Mong ethnic group accounts for over 90% of the population, and their lives are still fraught with hardship.

Mr. Thào Hoàng Long, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tà Xi Láng commune, said: “The goal for the 2025-2030 term is to reduce the poverty rate to 10-11%. The biggest bottlenecks currently are land and transportation infrastructure. Therefore, opening roads and removing policy barriers to unleash the potential under the forest canopy is a political commitment of the locality.”

Entering 2026, the commune will continue to assign officials to each village, guiding poor households to effectively utilize capital, seedlings, and livestock; and develop commodity production. At the same time, it will leverage resources from national target programs and provincial resolutions on the development of medicinal plants and rural transportation to create momentum.

According to the plan, in 2026, the commune proposes to build new, expand, and concrete 32.25 km of inter-village and intra-village roads with a total estimated capital of 20.3 billion VND, aiming to gradually bring cars into the production area and facilitate the purchase of agricultural products.

The people of Ta Xi Lang commune are delighted to have a new concrete road.

In addition, the commune is reviewing and supplementing land use planning, developing concentrated production areas; promoting the cultivation of medicinal plants under the forest canopy such as cardamom and golden orchid; expanding the model of shiitake mushroom cultivation; and developing value chains for characteristic products such as upland rice, black chicken, and indigenous pigs.

Community-based tourism has also been identified as an important direction. With its cloud-covered waterfalls, terraced rice fields, and unique Mong cultural identity, the commune aims to welcome approximately 3,000 visitors per year, generating revenue of 3 billion VND, linking tourism development with the preservation of traditional culture.

The road ahead is still fraught with challenges, but with the foundation already built and a clear direction for the 2026-2030 period, Ta Xi Lang aims not only to reduce poverty numerically, but also to create fundamental changes, helping people achieve sustainable livelihoods and a prosperous and happy life.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/con-duong-thoat-ngheo-o-ta-xi-lang-post893447.html