Cooperative 118 takes the lead in the emulation movement "For the poor - Leaving no one behind"

Bao Lac is a mountainous border commune of Cao Bang province, in which ethnic minorities account for 98.59%; the population is mainly concentrated in rural areas with over 90% of the labor force working in the fields of agriculture and forestry. People's lives still face many difficulties, the poverty rate is high. Born and raised in a poor countryside, Mr. Nong Van Hoan has had many concerns, thoughts, and efforts to find solutions in developing his own economy and has made positive contributions to the community, contributing to the construction of his homeland by establishing the 118 Agricultural Cooperative to grow mulberry and raise silkworms, and to produce and do business effectively, helping many people escape poverty.

Implementing the National Target Program on Sustainable Poverty Reduction for the period 2016 - 2020, in 2016, Mr. Nong Van Hoan was supported by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Bao Lac district in vocational training, transferring the application of science and technology in mulberry cultivation and silkworm breeding; the district's departments and branches helped him borrow capital under the program to solve employment. Realizing that selling silkworms brings income and can develop the work of growing mulberry and raising silkworms in the locality, he decided to follow the profession.

In 2019, he boldly established Agricultural Cooperative 118 with a charter capital of 1.5 billion VND, headquartered in Hong Tri commune, Bao Lac district (now Lung Tien hamlet, Bao Lac commune, Cao Bang province). Initially, there were only 7 members, but now the cooperative has grown to 9 members. The cooperative grows mulberry and raises silkworms, provides plants, breeds, technical support, equipment, fertilizers, and purchases and consumes silkworm cocoons for people in Bao Lac and Bao Lam districts and neighboring localities. Cooperative 118 has supported households to borrow capital to buy mulberry seeds, materials, and supplies for livestock farming within one year without interest for households in the communes: Bao Toan, Kim Cuc, Hung Dao, Hung Thinh of the former Bao Lac district and neighboring districts such as Bao Lam and Meo Vac ( Ha Giang ).

Agricultural Cooperative 118 has joined forces to implement a model of growing mulberry and raising silkworms to help people increase their income.

To ensure the development of mulberry growing area and a stable supply, Cooperative 118c encourages people to come and learn technical experience from his family, each course is about 20 days, nearly 40 households participate free of charge, with the aim of creating conditions for them to develop the economy together, have stable jobs, and contribute to hunger eradication and poverty reduction for the people of the district.

Mr. Nong Van Hoan shared that the most difficult times were in 2021 due to the complicated effects of the Covid19 pandemic, silkworm farmers could not sell their silkworm cocoons. Worried that farmers might lose all their capital and investment, leading to losses and difficulties in business, Cooperative 118 did not hesitate to travel long distances and during the period of social distancing, directly went to Nam Dinh and Lam Dong provinces to find a silkworm nursery company to successfully sign contracts, solving product output for farmers - this is also a memorable journey for Cooperative 118.

Realizing that the mulberry area in the two districts: Bao Lac, Bao Lam (formerly) has developed stably, this is also an opportunity for people to have income, create jobs in the area and also for districts in the province and districts of Ha Giang and Bac Kan provinces to develop mulberry trees, therefore, to ensure the consumption of all silkworm cocoons in the two districts and the rights of people not to be forced to lower prices by small independent traders, the Cooperative cooperated with Tay Bac Silk Joint Stock Company to sign a long-term and sustainable contract to consume silkworm cocoons in Bao Lac and Bao Lam districts at stable prices. In 2023, the Cooperative invested in a factory and a cold storage for silkworm farming tools with a capacity to preserve silkworm cocoons of about 2 tons/day, with a total investment of 700 million VND.

With bold investment, up to now, the Cooperative has recovered its capital and made a profit. Not only investing in factories and equipment, the Cooperative also provides products of tools for poor households to borrow in advance without interest, after 1 year the households with income will pay back, creating conditions for poor households to develop together. In addition, from 2022, the Cooperative will invest in mulberry nursery and star anise and cinnamon nursery to supply a number of project packages in communes of Bao Lac district; supply mulberry seedlings to a number of poor households.

In early 2024, the Cooperative continued to open 2 more cold storage container factories in Bao Lac district to facilitate the purchase of cocoons for people growing mulberry and raising silkworms. The Cooperative self-nursed trees with a scale of over 1 hectare, taking advantage of renting land from households with disabled people and poor households in the district, at the same time, hiring them as workers, in order to create more jobs for disabled and poor households in the locality.

Agricultural Cooperative 118 re-planned the garden, built a nursery and silkworm cocoon production house, applied science and technology and equipped production facilities.

From 2022 to now, the Cooperative has expanded the mulberry nursery area to 3 hectares with 9 million trees; nurtured about 7,000 boxes of silkworms, supplying about 600 households in Bao Lac, Bao Lam and some districts in the province. The mulberry area up to now in Bao Lac, Bao Lam and some other districts is about 560 hectares, of which the area for leaf harvesting is about 300 hectares, the remaining area has not been harvested. Regarding the cocoon output, the Cooperative will consume about 160 tons of cocoons in 2022; in 2023, the Cooperative will consume 240 tons of cocoons; in 2024, it will collect about 2,650 tons of cocoons with an average price of 190,000 VND/kg. The total revenue from selling silkworm cocoons is about 100.7 billion VND, with an average revenue of more than 167.8 million VND per household. Total revenue of the Cooperative is 45 billion VND/year, profit is more than 1.8 billion VND/year; the Cooperative creates regular jobs for 24 workers from poor households in especially difficult border areas, average income of workers is 70 million VND/year and social insurance is paid for 04 members of the Cooperative; tax payment and social welfare contributions are over 150 million VND/year.

Mr. Nong Van Hoan, Director of Cooperative 118, received a Certificate of Merit from the Prime Minister for the emulation movement "For the poor - Leaving no one behind" for the period 2021 - 2025.

Agricultural Cooperative 118 is not only a pioneer in production and business but also has many positive contributions to the local socio-economic development, helping many households in border areas to have jobs, taking the lead in the movement "For the poor - No one is left behind" and poverty reduction work in the province. In 2024, Agricultural Cooperative 118 is a typical example of Cao Bang province attending the Conference summarizing the Emulation Cluster of 7 Northern mountainous border provinces, receiving a Certificate of Merit from the Chairman of Lang Son Provincial People's Committee; in 2025, it was honored to receive the "Cooperative Star Award - CoopStar Awards 2025" and was awarded a Certificate of Merit by the Prime Minister in the emulation movement "For the poor - No one is left behind" for the period 2021 - 2025.

Agricultural Acupuncture

Source: baocaobang.vn

Source: https://sonoivu.caobang.gov.vn/hoat-dong-nganh/hop-tac-xa-118-di-dau-trong-phong-trao-thi-dua-vi-nguoi-ngheo-khong-de-ai-bi-bo-lai-phia-sau-1027608