Muong Lat rises up: Journey of change from Resolution 11-NQ/TU (Part 1) - Opening the way for "difficult areas"

Electricity has helped change the face of the countryside in Muong Lat district.

"Poor belly button" wakes up

We arrived in the mountainous district of Muong Lat in the middle of April, in the heroic atmosphere of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the South and the reunification of the country. National Highway 15C leading to Muong Lat district was filled with the brilliant red of the national flag, along with the white of Bauhinia flowers, dotted on the green background of the vast forest. Solid houses, well-built civil works... All of these evoked a new "color" of life on this land.

Established in 1996 on the basis of separating Quan Hoa district (old), Muong Lat had a very low starting point. The whole district has 7 border communes and 1 town, with 6 ethnic groups living together (Thai, Kinh, Muong, Kho Mu, Dao, Mong). For many years, Muong Lat has been considered the "poverty center" of the province and is among the poorest districts in the country. The main reasons are the complex mountainous terrain, very difficult socio-economic development conditions, and unfavorable soil and land. In particular, with more than 90% of the population being ethnic minorities, the people's educational level is still low.

To help Muong Lat escape poverty, the Central and the province have issued many development policies. Thanks to that, shifting cultivation and nomadic living have ended, and farming practices have gradually changed. However, although the district's natural area is large (81.2 thousand hectares), the land fund for agricultural production accounts for less than 3%, and the terrain is complex. In 2021, the average income per capita only reached 20.7 million VND/person/year, Muong Lat is still poor.

On September 29, 2022, the Provincial Party Standing Committee issued Resolution 11 on “Building and developing Muong Lat district to 2030, with a vision to 2045”. Muong Lat is the first district in the country to have a separate resolution issued by the Provincial Party Committee to “lead the way” for development - demonstrating the province’s special attention to a special locality.

Resolution 11 determines that in the 2021-2025 period: The average annual growth rate of production value will reach 10.2% or more; the mobilization of investment capital for social development will reach 3,500 billion VND; the poverty rate will decrease by an average of 7% annually. By 2025, the average income per capita will reach 25 million VND, the forest coverage rate will remain at 77%. By 2030, the average income per capita will reach 35 million VND or more; the poverty rate will be below 10%; 7/7 communes will meet the new rural standards (1 commune will meet the advanced new rural standards), 2 villages will meet the model new rural standards. The goal is that by 2045, the average income per capita of Muong Lat district will reach the average level of the province's mountainous districts.

The province determined that "building and developing Muong Lat district is the responsibility of the Party Committee, the government and the people of all ethnic groups in Muong Lat district, together with the support of the Central Government, the province and localities and units in the province". The Provincial Party Committee assigned Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Lai The Nguyen to directly direct these activities in Muong Lat district. For the people, the province clearly identified this as the main factor of the resolution. The province's viewpoint is that the State only plays a supporting role, not doing it on behalf of or for them. Besides infrastructure investment, the resolution focuses resources on supporting the livelihoods of people in the "core poor" areas, creating motivation for people to rise up and escape poverty.

The viewpoints and solutions of Resolution 11 "Focus on propagating and mobilizing ethnic minorities, especially Mong people, to change their awareness and methods, shifting from "self-sufficient" production practices to "commodity" production; proactively and actively working in production, developing household economy, striving to escape poverty sustainably; not waiting for or relying on the State's support; eliminating inferiority complex and resignation among cadres, party members and people" - make people both happy and worried. Happy because for many years, the State's policies have taken care of people from food and accommodation to education, medical examination and treatment... Now implementing Resolution 11 of the Party to escape poverty, strive for a prosperous life. Worried because they do not know how to produce goods, then build products, brands, markets... are all new things.

To help people feel secure in production, on August 21, 2023, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Agricultural Institute announced the results of the study on the Soil and Agrochemical Map and the Sustainable Forest Development Project of Muong Lat District for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2045. From there, the district developed a production plan and arranged a crop structure suitable to land conditions. At the same time, local leaders organized training courses and equipped people with scientific and technical knowledge.

"The Party is for the People, so the People trust the Party, and the ethnic minorities here put their full trust in the Party's resolutions. They encourage each other to actively produce high-value agricultural products, enhance the natural landscape and preserve the unique cultural identity of the nation..." - Secretary of Muong Lat District Party Committee Ha Van Ca affirmed.

New vitality from agriculture

One of the "bright spots" of Muong Lat's agricultural sector is identifying key crops and livestock. The district maintains 3,000 hectares of cassava, with a yield of 15 tons/ha and a revenue of more than 110 billion VND/year. At the same time, it focuses on developing Cay Noi sticky rice, an OCOP product favored by the market; building fruit and medicinal plant areas; and developing the economy from afforestation. Regarding livestock, the district focuses on developing livestock (buffaloes, cows, goats, etc.), poultry (black chickens, ducks, etc.) in Trung Ly, Muong Ly, and Tam Chung communes. To date, the total livestock herd has reached over 180,000 heads.

A peach garden of nearly 1,000 trees has brought in hundreds of millions of dong in income for the family of Mr. Thao Lau Po, in Loc Ha village, Nhi Son commune.

Located at an altitude of more than 1,000m above sea level, Nhi Son and Pu Nhi communes are suitable for growing plums and peaches. During the fruit ripening season, many Mong ethnic families build small huts along National Highway 15C to sell, with prices ranging from 25,000 - 30,000 VND/kg.

The peach garden of Thao Lau Po's family in Loc Ha village, Nhi Son commune is nearly 10 years old. Po chose the French peach variety from Moc Chau district (Son La) to grow to create a difference and reduce competition. With 1,000 peach trees, Po's family is expected to harvest tons of fruit in the 2025 crop, earning hundreds of millions of VND. In addition to peach trees, his family also grows 500 plum trees, 200 lychee trees, Vinh oranges and grapefruits. His family's total annual income is more than 200 million VND, after deducting expenses, the profit is more than 100 million VND. In 2024, Po's family is one of 19 households that have escaped poverty in Nhi Son commune.

Realizing the development potential of peach and plum trees, Muong Lat district has directed specialized departments and offices to coordinate with communes to organize training courses on plum growing techniques and encourage households to expand the peach and plum growing area. Through the review of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Muong Lat district, the locality has about more than 100 hectares of plum and peach trees, mainly concentrated in villages of Pu Nhi and Nhi Son communes. The authorities of the two communes have directed people to cooperate in production according to the "household group" model, implementing the technical process of growing plums according to VietGAP standards.

Mr. Tran Van Thang, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Muong Lat district, shared: "The climate and soil characteristics have made this crop more delicious and sweeter than many other places. To have quality, many households have known how to apply scientific and technical advances in crossbreeding and grafting to improve crop efficiency, including the peach-plum hybrid variety. However, developing this crop is one thing, and making people earn income from it is another. That is finding an outlet for this agricultural product."

In reality, attracting investment, especially in the field of processing and producing agricultural and forestry products in Muong Lat district, is very difficult. Because no one builds a processing factory in a mountainous district with fragmented terrain, difficult transportation, no large specialized areas, no identified main crops, and additional transportation costs.

Taking responsibility for directly directing activities in Muong Lat district, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Lai The Nguyen has mobilized Phuc Thinh Agricultural and Forestry Products and Agricultural Materials Processing Joint Stock Company (Phuc Thinh Company) to invest in and expand the cassava material area in Muong Lat district. In the 2023-2024 crop year, the entire Muong Lat district has about 3,000 hectares of cassava, with an estimated yield of 18 tons/ha, an estimated output of 54,000 tons, with cassava prices (from 2.4 - 2.6 million VND/1 ton), the total amount of money people earn from selling cassava reaches more than 100 billion VND. Income from cassava contributes to helping local people improve their lives, eliminate hunger and reduce poverty.

Cassava is mainly intercropped with production forest land in the communes of Trung Ly, Muong Ly, Pu Nhi and Tam Chung. Of which, Muong Ly commune is the commune with the largest cassava area in Muong Lat district with nearly 1,000 hectares.

Mr. Mua Seo Sang, Secretary of the Xa Lung Village Youth Union, Muong Ly Commune, said: "Over the past two years, with the encouragement and guidance of the local government, my family and other households in the village have started growing high-yield cassava on the hills. Compared to other crops, cassava is very easy to grow, suitable for the climate and soil, so cassava grows and develops quite well, on average each plant with good yield will produce 2 - 3 kg of fresh cassava. Enterprises purchase cassava and pay fresh cash at the field to the people. Last year, my family earned nearly 50 million VND from selling cassava. This year's cassava crop, because people arbitrarily expanded the cultivation area, the cassava purchase price is only 1,100 - 1,300 VND/kg".

Despite some fluctuations, cassava still clearly defines its potential and economic value. In the upcoming 2025-2026 crop year, according to the requirements of the Department of Agriculture and Environment and the People's Committee of Muong Lat district, people must sign a consumption contract with the factory. If the market price drops too low, the enterprise will buy an "insurance" price so that people do not suffer losses. When signing a consumption contract for raw material areas, the enterprise will be responsible for providing technical assistance and fertilizers, thereby increasing the productivity and output of cassava.

With these “bright streaks”, Muong Lat is gradually changing. From the remote villages of the past, today there are correct guidelines and policies; roads and means of transport have reached the villages. The new face of the “poverty center” is gradually emerging, opening new pages of history full of promise for the ethnic people here.

Article and photos: Tang Thuy

Lesson 2: Fulfilling the promise to the late General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/muong-lat-vuon-minh-hanh-trinh-thay-doi-tu-nghi-quyet-11-nq-tu-bai-1-nbsp-mo-huong-cho-vung-kho-247403.htm