The sowers live on the Truong Son mountain range

Technical instructions for cassava planting for people - Photo: PHH

On August 2, 1999, Economic - Defense Group 337 marched from Cam Xuyen to Huong Hoa, entering a new period with new missions. The economic - defense project area is a particularly difficult mountainous commune, once an important strategic area, the gateway of the North - South artery, connecting to lower Laos. The terrain is fragmented, the mountains are rugged. There is no electricity, no communication network. The entire project area spans more than 666.47 km2, with only the Ho Chi Minh trail, the West branch, being the only route. The lives of the soldiers and civilians in the project area are extremely deprived and difficult.

Production Team 8 was assigned by the Economic - Military Group 337 to take charge of the area of Ba Nang commune, Dakrong district and Nguon Rao - Pin village, Huong Son commune, Huong Hoa district, a vast land of reeds, sim mua, wild grass and countless bombs and mines left over from the war. The purpose is to develop the economy of the project area to exploit the land, develop the cultivation of industrial crops and food crops, help people develop the economy, and at the same time strengthen the western defense line of Quang Tri province.

Major Phan Dinh Phi, Party Cell Secretary, said that in the face of the difficulties, each officer and employee of Production Team 8 brought about ten chickens, ducks, and geese for breeding, working day and night to plant dragon fruit, arrowroot, cassava, squash, green vegetables, etc. Then directly helping people build houses, plant rice, arrowroot, etc., and improve tools. After work, officers and soldiers also took the time to cut hair for free for people.

With the attention of the regimental commander, with will and enthusiasm, each person boldly borrowed capital to invest in a system of barns, raising cows, pigs, goats, and taking advantage of streams to build ponds to raise fish, encouraging people to follow suit. However, to make people understand, believe and follow, officers and soldiers must set up many models and clearly demonstrate practical effectiveness.

Thanks to their diligence, hard work and creativity in production, the officers and soldiers of Production Team 8 have achieved their first results on this difficult land. The high-yield cassava and other vegetables and fruits... have begun to sprout and grow; cows, pigs, chickens... have gradually developed into large herds. From here, the people in the area have put their full trust in them, voluntarily following the economically effective production model that they have been guided to.

Thanks to the active coordination and tireless efforts of the officers and soldiers of Production Team 8 and the people, over the past 25 years, the model of growing coffee, galangal, ginger and cassava... here has been implemented very effectively. Many families have an income of up to hundreds of millions of VND each year such as: Ho Van An, Ho Van Hinh, Ho Van Xuoi...

Mr. Hinh confided: “In the past, my family was very poor because we mainly raised livestock and cultivated crops in a “dependant” way, so the efficiency was not high. Thanks to the attention of the Party and the State, especially the guidance and hand-holding of the officers and soldiers of Production Team 8, and learning from their economic model, my family now has a little bit of food and savings, and my children can go to school.”

Not only working and producing with the people, the officers and soldiers of Production Team 8 also established their own livestock farms to serve the soldiers' lives. Major Nguyen Sy Hieu, a team member, said: From 2020 to now, in addition to growing vegetables and fruits, the production area has always maintained about 5 pigs, 8 cows, 6 dogs, more than 100 geese, chickens, ducks... and a pond area of more than 100 m2 with more than 1,000 fish fry. The products produced not only provide food for units in the regiment, but also sell to the market for nearly 200 million VND per year.

After more than 25 years of stationing and working in this area, Production Team 8 has contributed to helping ethnic minority people change their thinking and working methods, gradually improving their quality of life.

Not satisfied with what has been achieved, in the upcoming journey, the officers and soldiers of Production Team 8 are still struggling every day and every hour to build production models in a new direction to continue to stabilize, ensure the rights and improve the lives of the people, and complete the noble mission of soldiers on the difficult and challenging economic front.

Pham Huu Hiep

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/nhung-nguoi-gioi-mam-song-tren-day-truong-son-194571.htm