Accelerate the construction of standard agricultural and forestry raw material areas

Quang Tri is one of 13 provinces nationwide that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) is interested in and prioritized to implement the pilot project to build a standard agricultural and forestry raw material area for domestic consumption and export in the period of 2022-2025 (Project). Over the past 2 years, the province has focused on implementing the construction of a standard agricultural raw material area for domestic consumption and export through solutions.

Phu Hung Cooperative, Hai Phu Commune, Hai Lang District is a pioneer in FSC forest planting - Photo: BAO BINH

The objective of the Project is to form a concentrated, certified sustainable production area for planted forest wood materials based on the linkage between forest growers, cooperatives and wood processing and exporting enterprises to promote the rapid, effective and sustainable restructuring of the agricultural sector and new rural construction of the province.

Enhance the role and operational efficiency of agricultural and forestry cooperatives in the value chain of certified plantation timber, creating momentum to form a sustainable plantation product chain between cooperatives and enterprises.

Implementing the pilot project, the province aims to build a FSC-certified timber material area in 5 districts: Hai Lang, Trieu Phong, Cam Lo, Gio Linh and Vinh Linh by 2025, reaching a total area of ​​5,000 hectares, the average proportion of large timber in large timber forest areas when exploited in cooperation with a diameter of over 15cm reaches 60%.

The total area of ​​large timber plantation planned in the province is 13,000 ha. Of which, Hai Lang, Cam Lo and Trieu Phong areas are 8,000 ha, Gio Linh and Vinh Linh areas are 5,000 ha. Up to now, the area of ​​large timber plantation has reached 4,250.6/5,000 ha, the area converted from small timber to large timber business is 13,799 ha.

Regarding investment in transport infrastructure, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has coordinated with the management board of agricultural projects and localities to complete the construction and handover of 5 forestry roads with a total length of up to 14.48 km.

These routes include: Thuy Ba Tay Cooperative (Vinh Thuy Commune, Vinh Linh) 2.84 km long; Giang Xuan Hai Cooperative (Trung Son Commune, Gio Linh) 2.2 km long; Ha Xa Cooperative (Trieu Ai Commune, Trieu Phong) 4.02 km long; Phu Hung Cooperative (Hai Phu Commune, Hai Lang) 3.35 km long and Cam Nghia Cooperative (Cam Nghia Commune, Cam Lo) 2.07 km long.

Thuy Ba Tay Agricultural Service Production Cooperative (Thuy Ba Tay Cooperative), Vinh Thuy commune was chosen as the location to build a wood storage yard on the road connecting the forest wood material area of ​​Vinh Linh district. The Provincial People's Committee has decided to lease land to Thuy Ba Tay Cooperative for the purpose of production forest land, currently waiting for the Provincial People's Committee to issue a land use right certificate. On the Cooperative's side, the unit has cleared 3,000 ^m2 of land ready to invest in a wood storage yard.

Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director of Thuy Ba Tay Cooperative Nguyen Van Lam said: “The total planted forest area of ​​Vinh Thuy commune is currently about 1,300 hectares, of which Thuy Ba Tay Cooperative alone has about 33 hectares. The construction of a wood storage yard on the road connecting the district's forested wood material areas aims to create a synchronous infrastructure, serving the collection, preservation and processing of wood more effectively. In addition, the wood storage yard also contributes to promoting the connection between cooperatives, businesses and forest growers, creating a sustainable value chain in the forestry industry”.

In the southern region of the province, Phu Hung Agricultural Production Service Cooperative (Phu Hung Cooperative), Hai Phu Commune, Hai Lang District, received a land allocation decision from the People's Committee of Trieu Hai District according to Decision No. 10/QD dated January 1, 1983. The current status of the land requested for a certificate is production forest land, the Cooperative has cleared an area of ​​3,000 m2 (location for building a wood gathering area).

Currently, the Cooperative is carrying out the procedures for measuring and drawing maps and requesting the Provincial People's Committee to issue a land use right certificate to continue with the next steps. Director of Phu Hung Cooperative Le Van The expressed his hope that the procedures would be accelerated to soon implement the wood gathering yard, minimizing transportation costs.

Explaining the reason why the project has been implemented until the last year of the phase but up to now some important items have not been invested in, such as the case of two timber gathering yards at Phu Hung and Thuy Ba Tay Cooperatives, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment Nguyen Hong Phuong said: Before Decree No. 91/2024/ND-CP dated July 18, 2024 of the Government on amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree 156/2018/ND-CP of the Government detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Forestry Law was issued, the requirement to change the purpose of forest use to another purpose when implementing the project of a forest product gathering yard was not clearly guided.

This leads to the legal documents of the projects, although there is a land use plan, but they cannot be implemented because the area where the project is implemented is production forest land. Currently, according to the provisions of Clause 24, Article 1 of Decree No. 91/2024/ND-CP dated July 18, 2024, for infrastructure projects serving forest protection and development specified in Clauses 1, 2, 3 and 4, Article 51 of the Forestry Law, it is not necessary to carry out procedures for deciding on the policy of changing the purpose of forest use to another purpose. Thus, the implementation of the project of the timber collection site will be more convenient because it is not necessary to carry out procedures for changing the purpose of forest use to another purpose.

To continue to effectively implement the Project, the province needs to pay attention to removing legal difficulties regarding land, creating conditions and supporting infrastructure investment for cooperatives selected to implement the Project.

Focus on completing infrastructure projects for raw material areas, training and capacity building for cooperatives; consulting and supporting cooperatives to expand their scale and improve the efficiency of production and business activities.

At the same time, it is necessary to promote the role of community agricultural extension groups, promote trade and develop product brands, apply information technology and digital transformation, and apply advanced production processes...

On the other hand, there needs to be mechanisms and policies to attract businesses to invest in developing raw material areas, linking with cooperatives and farmers along the value chain to promote the effectiveness of the Project.

Aquarius

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/day-nhanh-viec-xay-dung-vung-nguyen-lieu-nong-lam-san-dat-chuan-192997.htm