Arousing the will to escape poverty through advance investment policy

In recent times, the policy of investing in advance and subsidizing transportation costs for seeds and materials has aroused the will of ethnic minorities and mountainous areas to rise up and escape poverty sustainably, contributing to promoting comprehensive development of the socio-economic life of ethnic minorities in the mountainous areas.

Rising from giving "fishing rods"

Ham Can Commune (Ham Thuan Nam) is one of the mountainous and highland communes of the province implementing the policy of investing in advance for hybrid corn. Hybrid corn is still the main crop contributing to hunger eradication and poverty reduction, bringing stable income to ethnic minorities here. Registering for advance investment, Rai people are provided with seeds, materials, technical support for planting and care, participating in seminars demonstrating new disease-resistant varieties with high yields. When the hybrid corn harvest season comes, the purchase price is guaranteed at a stable price. In 2023, Ham Can commune people received advance investment in producing hectares of hybrid corn with a total investment of 5.6 billion VND. The weather is relatively favorable, the corn grows well, the expected purchase output is about 4,000 tons, some households will harvest early starting from mid-September. Households receiving advance investment are very excited when the province creates conditions for investing in production seeds because this is the biggest concern in each production season. When the harvest season comes, the corn is purchased by stores and agents on the spot, the price is stable, after deducting expenses, it brings in a good income, and the people's lives are improved.

Hybrid corn investment advance in Ham Thuan Nam.

The Provincial Mountainous Service Center said that since the beginning of the year, the Center has provided adequate and timely supplies and goods to serve the needs of winter-spring rice production in Phan Dien and Phan Dung communes. At the same time, it has coordinated with the communes to organize for households in need to register to receive advance investment in rice and hybrid corn in 2023. Up to now, the whole province has 1,400 households registered to receive advance investment in hybrid corn and rice production with a total area of 2,469.7 hectares; of which, hybrid corn is 1,090 households/2,254.8 hectares and wet rice is 310 households/214.9 hectares. The Center has signed contracts with 1,149 households/2,196.5 hectares. In addition, the Center also coordinated with seed companies in and outside the province, the agricultural sector of Ham Thuan Bac and Ham Thuan Nam districts to organize 15 training courses on techniques for using plant protection drugs and techniques for planting and intensive cultivation of hybrid corn and wet rice in 11 communes and villages with the participation of over 1,100 households. Organized demonstration models and field workshops on hybrid corn variety NK 6275 in Dong Giang commune (Ham Thuan Bac).

A corner of Phan Son mountainous commune (Bac Binh).

It can be said that the advance investment policy is a unique and outstanding policy that only Binh Thuan province has. It shows the province's special attention to ethnic minorities compared to 44 provinces and cities with Ethnic Committees nationwide. According to the assessment of the provincial Ethnic Committee, the effectiveness of the advance investment policy has contributed to helping ethnic minority households have enough materials and goods to develop production, limit the situation of usury and price gouging in the ethnic minority areas, and their lives have been significantly improved; gradually contributing to significantly reducing the rate of poor and near-poor households in the ethnic minority areas of the province. According to statistics for the period (2016 - 2020), the poverty rate in the ethnic minority region at the beginning of 2016 was 4,250 poor households, accounting for 19.98% and 1,913 near-poor households, accounting for 8.99%. By the end of 2020, the ethnic minority region had 1,180 poor households, accounting for 4.73% and 3,238 near-poor households, accounting for 12.98%.

Phan Son ethnic minority group (Bac Binh) cultivates new rice varieties with high yield.

Transfer of technical progress

The advance investment policy not only helps ethnic households have enough seeds, fertilizers, and goods for production but also transfers technical advances to change previous backward production practices. Implementing the advance investment policy, every year the Provincial Service and Mountainous Areas Center coordinates with units inside and outside the province such as CP Vietnam Seed Company Limited, Nha Ho - Ninh Thuan Seed Company, Nguyen Khang Binh Thuan Company, Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection, Provincial Agricultural Extension Center, District Agricultural Technical Service Centers to organize 15 training courses on planting techniques, care, effective use of fertilizers and methods to eradicate pests (especially fall armyworms) that damage hybrid corn and rice, with over 1,500 households attending. Along with that, 1 to 2 field workshops are organized to demonstrate new hybrid corn varieties with the aim of gradually helping people introduce new varieties into production to increase productivity and high economic efficiency in the following crops.

Many effective production models have been gradually transformed in the ethnic minority areas of the province, such as the intensive farming model on low-yield rice land to implement one corn crop and one rice crop to bring high economic efficiency suitable to the natural conditions of each region. Agricultural extension activities, guiding people to apply scientific and technological advances in cultivation are regularly organized to support people. Thanks to that, productivity, quality and efficiency have increased quite well, such as the average rice yield reaching 55 quintals/ha, hybrid corn 60 - 70 quintals/ha (in some places reaching 80 - 90 quintals/ha)... Agricultural production in the ethnic minority areas of the province has gradually developed, in accordance with the planning of each locality, the income and life of people have gradually improved.

The advance investment policy along with many other practical policies have been and are the driving force to create a new face for the province's ethnic minority region. The material and spiritual life of the people has been improved, the people have more confidence in the leadership of the Party, local Party committees and authorities, creating a premise for building and strengthening the great national unity bloc.

The policy of investing in advance of materials and essential goods for production and life for ethnic minority households in mountainous and highland areas in the province was issued by the Provincial People's Committee in Decision No. 1353 dated April 5, 2004. Through the process of amendment and supplementation, it is now implemented according to Decision 05 of the Provincial People's Committee dated February 1, 2016, focusing on investing in advance for 2 types of crops: wet rice and hybrid corn. In order to carry out the assigned tasks, the Provincial Ethnic Committee assigned the Mountain Service Center to implement this policy in 11 pure communes and 20 mixed villages in mountainous communes of the province, bringing high efficiency.

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