"Leveraging" the development aspirations of farmers in Lao Cai.

Capital has always played a crucial role, acting as a "lever" to help farmers develop their economy, increase their income, and improve their living standards. Over the past period, along with policy-based funding sources, the Lao Cai Provincial Farmers' Support Fund has affirmed its role as a specialized credit channel, helping farmers realize their aspirations for advancement in the era of integration.

Understanding the needs of the people, right from the beginning of the year, the Provincial Farmers' Association directed the grassroots farmers' associations to review the loan needs of their members and farmers.

Funds have been disbursed to support farmers in Nghia Tam commune in developing citrus fruit cultivation.

In the first quarter, the local associations appraised and disbursed funds for 11 projects totaling 9.46 billion VND, bringing the total outstanding loan balance from the Farmers' Support Fund to over 84 billion VND, covering 166 projects and 1,238 borrowing households; of which, over 14.7 billion VND came from central government-entrusted funds, disbursed to 22 projects and 220 households; and 69.4 billion VND came from provincial funds, disbursed to 144 projects and 1,027 households.

To understand the effectiveness of our investment, we visited Tran Yen. Our first impression upon arriving in Tran Yen was the noticeable transformation in the rural landscape and the lives of its people. The rice paddies, mulberry fields, tea plantations, cinnamon orchards, and lush green forests, along with numerous well-invested pig and chicken farming models, reflect the positive changes in the local agricultural economic development.

This result was contributed by the Farmers' Support Fund, which is implementing a project to plant and care for cinnamon and mulberry trees and raise commercial chickens with 32 participating households, totaling over 2.3 billion VND.

Strawberry fields in Tran Yen commune.

Having received a loan of 50 million VND in March 2025, the family of Mr. Nguyen Cao Van, from Dao Thinh 5 village, invested in purchasing seedlings to plant over 1 hectare of cinnamon trees and bought fertilizer to care for nearly 4 hectares of previously planted cinnamon trees to develop organic cinnamon farming.

Mr. Van happily shared: “We farmers always aspire to get rich in our homeland, but expanding production requires a huge amount of capital. With the support of the farmers' association in providing preferential loans, accompanying us in transferring science and technology, and organizing production in groups and along the value chain, we are confident that the value of our products will be increased.”

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Nga, Chairwoman of the Farmers' Association of Tran Yen commune, said: "The Farmers' Support Fund has helped members develop and expand the area of ​​crops and livestock towards sustainable, commodity-oriented production, adapting to current climate change."

In Bao Thang commune, the fund has helped the locality implement two models: free-range chicken farming and Dai Hoang banana cultivation, with 29 participating households and outstanding loans of 2.7 billion VND. Although the implementation period has not been long, it has helped households, especially those raising chickens, earn hundreds of millions of VND each year.

Mr. Nguyen The Truong, Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Bao Thang commune, assessed: "The preferential capital has helped households to cooperate in exploiting the potential and strengths of the locality, thereby focusing on production along the value chain and increasing income."

Leaders of the Provincial Farmers' Association visit a chicken farming model in Bao Thang.

Currently, Lien Son commune maintains two loan models from the Farmers' Support Fund: buffalo breeding in Doan Ket village with 10 participating households and a total capital of 500 million VND; and tea cultivation with 3 participating households and a total capital of 120 million VND.

In addition, the Lien Son Commune Farmers' Association also maintains a trust contract with the Social Policy Bank with a total outstanding loan balance of 39.7 billion VND for 497 borrowing households.

Mr. Ha Van Quang, Chairman of the Lien Son Commune Farmers' Association, said: "The Association has focused on strictly managing the capital, ensuring it reaches the right beneficiaries. All households borrowing capital have used it effectively, complied well with regulations, and have not incurred any overdue debts. In particular, the loan model from the Farmers' Support Fund has created jobs, increased income, and improved the living standards of our members."

Thanks to the support fund, the economic value per unit of tea cultivation in Lien Son has increased.

In reality, the demand for preferential loans from the people is very high; however, due to limited funds, only 62 communes and wards in the province have been able to access the association's capital. Therefore, the fund will be used for revolving capital for communes that have implemented the program effectively when the loan cycle ends, and priority will be given to localities that have not yet implemented the program when additional funds become available.

In parallel, to help farmer members develop their economy, the associations at all levels have done a good job of implementing entrustment programs with the Social Policy Bank and credit guarantees with Agribank to meet the capital needs of the people.

By the end of the first quarter, the total outstanding loans through the Social Policy Bank of the Farmers' Association reached over 3,136 billion VND, with 41,681 borrowing households; unsecured loans with the Agricultural and Rural Development Bank reached 2,502 billion VND, with 18,045 borrowing households.

In addition to providing capital support, improving the knowledge of members is always a priority for farmers' associations at all levels to ensure efficient production and business. In the first quarter of this year, the Provincial Farmers' Association, in coordination with relevant departments and specialized units, organized 120 training courses on transferring scientific and technical knowledge and providing agricultural vocational training to over 12,000 farmers on cultivation techniques, animal husbandry, mulberry cultivation and silkworm rearing, cold-water fish farming, value chain production, and biosafety; and implemented the "Vietnamese Farmers" digital platform…

This contributes to improving the skills and capabilities of officials and members, fostering a mindset of commodity production, cooperative economics, and digital transformation, creating an important foundation for gradually building a civilized, dynamic, knowledgeable, and ambitious farmer in Lao Cai in the era of integration.

Providing training on relevant knowledge for officials and members of farmers' associations.

Based on the achievements, and to continue creating "leverage" to help farmers compete in excellent production and business, increase income and improve their lives, according to Ms. Nguyen Thi Phuong Dong - Vice President of the Provincial Farmers' Association, the Provincial Farmers' Association will effectively utilize the farmer support fund. At the same time, it will strengthen the dissemination of the Party and State's policies on agricultural and rural credit to officials and members; enhance coordination with banks to bring loan capital to members in the most convenient way; and focus on training and transferring scientific and technological advancements to farmers to improve the efficiency of loan utilization.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/don-bay-khat-vong-phat-trien-cua-nong-dan-lao-cai-post899542.html