Changes in Pat village

In early May, visiting Pat village in Muong Bu commune, we witnessed the achievements in economic development of the local people. With their dynamism, boldness in crop diversification, and application of scientific and technological advancements, the villagers have built many effective production models with high incomes, contributing to maintaining the criteria of a model new rural village in terms of production organization and rural economic development.

The people of Pat village, Muong Bu commune, exchange experiences on caring for winter squash.

As one of the pioneering households in restructuring production, Mr. Lo Van Toan's family boldly converted their low-yield crop land to growing winter squash using an automatic irrigation system, combined with raising goats for commercial purposes, which has brought a stable income to the family. Mr. Toan shared: "Investing in an automatic irrigation system saves labor, ensures a reliable water source, especially during hot weather, helping the squash plants grow uniformly and resulting in more stable yields. With 5,000 m² of winter squash, we harvest over 50 tons of fruit annually, which is purchased by traders directly from the farm. In addition, the family maintains a herd of nearly 20 goats, selling two batches per year, each batch consisting of 6-7 goats, at an average price of about 4.5 million VND per goat. The family's total annual income exceeds 150 million VND."

The people of Pat village, Muong Bu commune, sell their winter squash to traders.

Mr. Lo Van Trung's family owns 3 hectares of agricultural land, of which 2 hectares have been converted to growing mangrove trees; 5,000 square meters are planted with coffee, and 5,000 square meters are maintained for corn cultivation. Mr. Trung said: After the conversion, the mangrove trees are growing well and are initially providing income; the coffee, newly planted at the beginning of 2025, is developing well. Currently, the family earns nearly 130 million VND per year, mainly from mangrove trees and partly from the corn crop, much higher than before.

To link production among families in the village, in 2023, the Pat Village Agricultural Cooperative was established with 8 members; acting as a bridge between the people and businesses and factories in the production and consumption of hundreds of tons of agricultural products for the villagers each year; at the same time, guiding the people to apply science and technology to production, improving product quality.

Pat village currently has 110 households and 506 inhabitants, mainly of the Thai ethnic group. Exploiting the potential and advantages of fertile land and abundant water resources from streams and springs, the village has encouraged its people to maintain a diversified production structure with approximately 100 hectares of corn and cassava, yielding about 1,000 tons; 30 hectares of vegetables, mainly winter squash, yielding over 900 tons; and 30 hectares of fruit trees, mainly longan, mango, and jackfruit, yielding about 200 tons of various fruits. Livestock farming is also developing with a total herd of about 200 pigs, 200 buffaloes and cows, over 250 goats, and about 3,000 poultry.

The goat farming model of the people in Pat village, Muong Bu commune.

Mr. Lo Van Nho, Party Secretary and Head of Pat village, shared: The average income of people in the village currently reaches over 30 million VND/person/year. The village also maintains 3 loan groups, connecting and helping 110 households borrow capital from the Social Policy Bank and the Agricultural and Rural Development Bank, with a total outstanding loan of 7.5 billion VND, helping people have more resources to invest and expand production. In the coming time, the village will continue to find suitable directions in economic development to increase people's income, focusing on developing the coffee cultivation model and continuing to encourage households to cooperate in the production and consumption of agricultural products.

Mr. Lu Van Qui, Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Bu Commune, assessed: In recent times, Pat village has effectively utilized its land advantages, proactively transformed its crop and livestock structure, and formed several effective economic models, contributing to increased income for the people. In the coming time, the commune will continue to guide and support people in replicating suitable production models, while also providing capital and technical support to develop sustainable production.

The initial results show a suitable direction for economic development in Pat village. As the people proactively change their mindset and practices, taking advantage of existing resources, their incomes are gradually improving, their lives are becoming more stable, contributing to the sustainable development of new rural areas from the grassroots level.

Source: https://baosonla.vn/xa-hoi/doi-thay-o-ban-pat-oCTdZg0Dg.html