Low disbursement rate
During the period 2022-2024, based on the registered volume of work from the localities of Nam Tra My, Bac Tra My, Phuoc Son, Hiep Duc, Nam Giang, Dong Giang, and Tay Giang, over 189 billion VND was allocated to implement the sub-project "Developing forestry economy associated with forest protection and increasing income for people" (Sub-project 1, under project 3 - National target program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas).
Regarding disbursement results, according to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in 2022, 10.43% of the allocated capital plan was disbursed. Meanwhile, in 2023, localities disbursed more than 22 billion VND (capital carried over from 2022 reached 28.53%, and capital allocated in 2023 reached 14.59%). In 2024, the estimated disbursement is over 33.6 billion VND, reaching 50% of the allocated capital plan.
Besides obstacles due to mechanisms and slow and unfavorable capital allocation, the practical implementation of Sub-project 1 also encountered difficulties, with the volume not meeting the initial registration, leading to a failure to disburse the allocated capital.
According to analyses by experts and local authorities, only two components of the sub-project "Developing the forestry economy in conjunction with forest protection and increasing people's income" – forest protection contracts and forest protection itself – have been implemented relatively smoothly.
For the remaining four categories that are not subject to regulations, there are no participants; people are not enthusiastic due to complicated procedures and paperwork, and they are accustomed to planting acacia trees, making it very difficult to persuade them to switch to planting other types of trees…
Mr. Dinh Van Bao, Vice Chairman of the Dong Giang District People's Committee, said that in 2023, the district planted 400 hectares of production forest. However, mobilizing people to register, prepare dossiers, approve designs, and organize bidding has been extremely difficult. The Dong Giang District Party Committee's resolution sets a target of planting 800 hectares of large timber forest annually, with a focus on cinnamon trees, to be planted for 10-15 years. When people register, the land is often scattered and small, not meeting the minimum requirement of 3 hectares, or located outside the planned three types of forests, thus making implementation impossible.
According to Mr. Bao, the district has planned 19,000 hectares of production forest, registering to plant 800 hectares per year; however, when implementing the reforestation plan, many areas currently planted with acacia trees aged 3-5 years cannot participate immediately.
There were cases where people registered to participate in 2023, and it was determined that their land fell within the planned area for protective forest; accordingly, in 2024, the district included the target for planting protective forests, but people still developed concerns about losing their land, and the harvesting cycle was only 20% each year… People remained hesitant even though the regulations stipulated double the support.
From a professional perspective, according to Mr. Tran Ut, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, localities have not thoroughly reviewed the registration of the volume of support for planting production and protection forests. Through discussions with localities, it was found that the registered volume was high (specifically, over 2,447.3 hectares in 2022 and 2023).
The support levels for forest protection (400,000 VND/ha) and forest development (10 million VND/ha) are still low and do not encourage people to participate in forest development projects.
The majority of support for implementation is assigned to the commune People's Committees. However, in the province, most commune forestry officials are part-time or hold dual roles, thus lacking expertise. Therefore, the implementation and consultation for this sub-project are slow and limited.
Be determined to act while there is still room for improvement.
According to the Provincial Ethnic Affairs Committee, the remaining unallocated capital for the districts is over 104.5 billion VND, and disbursing all of this capital will not be easy. To avoid losing funds, in case of force majeure, localities need to flexibly adjust the capital from Sub-project 1 to other projects under the National Target Program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas.
While agreeing with this proposal, Mr. A Lang Mai, Head of the Provincial Ethnic Affairs Committee, also noted that mountainous areas have a strong potential for developing forestry-based economic activities, and support policies are all geared towards this goal.
Therefore, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in coordination with local authorities, will review the volume and verify the amount already disbursed from the allocated funds, clearly identifying the needs for registering the use of the remaining funds.
Regarding the significant potential for implementing Sub-project 1 in localities, Mr. Tu Van Khanh, Deputy Head of the Provincial Forest Protection Department, stated that for the 2024 plan, localities are likely to achieve 100% disbursement for forest protection contracts and forest protection projects. Other projects will achieve approximately 50% disbursement.
To achieve the commitment of disbursing 50% of funds by the end of 2024, district-level localities are directing the People's Committees of communes to act as project owners and intensify propaganda and mobilization efforts to help people understand the benefits of afforestation and forest restoration, thereby encouraging them to register to participate.
"According to the Resolution of the 22nd Provincial Party Congress, by 2025, Quang Nam must achieve a forest cover rate of 61%. However, by the end of 2023, only 58.88% had been achieved (many forest areas were lost due to storms, floods, and landslides in 2020)."
"With the current progress, the forest cover rate is only expected to reach 59.5% by 2025. To achieve the planned forest cover, we must plant 3,000 hectares of forest each year. Achieving the target of over 3,300 hectares in Sub-project 1 will contribute to fulfilling the forest cover target as set out in the Provincial Party Committee's resolution," Mr. Khanh said.
Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Anh Tuan requested that localities coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to review and reassess the results and remaining potential for implementation of projects related to forest regeneration with supplementary planting, protective forest planting, and production forest planting.
For allocated funds that have been identified and are currently being implemented, expedited completion is necessary to ensure disbursement, with the aim of preventing any loss of funds. Regarding the unallocated funds exceeding 104.5 billion VND, the reasons for this need to be clarified, and methods and solutions for handling the situation should be proposed.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Provincial Ethnic Affairs Committee are working with localities to reaffirm the commitment to implementation while there is still room for maneuver, favorable conditions, and suitable target groups. Funding will only be adjusted if implementation becomes impossible.
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/trien-khai-chinh-sach-phat-trien-kinh-te-lam-nghiep-gan-voi-bao-ve-rung-vo-ke-hoach-giai-ngan-3139786.html
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