Building commodity production areas, forming a chain of links

Thai Nguyen is focusing on effectively implementing national target programs in a focused and key direction associated with the potential and strengths of each region. In particular, for many communes in remote, mountainous areas with a large number of ethnic minorities, creating sustainable livelihoods for the people is one of the key tasks of the province.

Members of Hop Phat Cooperative, Ngan Son commune harvest organic chestnuts.

New developments

With a total natural area of ​​over 166 km2, mainly forestry land, the proportion of ethnic minorities accounts for 98%, Nghia Ta commune has advantages in developing the forest economy . Oriented, encouraged, supported and developed the processing industry, afforestation becomes a sustainable livelihood for the people here.

In Don Lien village, Mr. Quan Trong Quynh has worked hard to plant forests. From only having about 10 hectares, Mr. Quynh now owns about 50 hectares of planted forest with trees including acacia, fat, cinnamon, and linden; on average, the annual income after deducting expenses is more than one billion VND.

Nghia Ta is a bright spot in creating livelihoods from afforestation in the north of Thai Nguyen with a total timber output in the 2020-2025 period of more than 492,000 m3, worth more than 787 billion VND. The average income of a household from afforestation reaches more than 120 million VND/year. According to the Party Secretary of Ma Doan Khang commune, afforestation and forest product processing have created a chain of 5 job activities, including: planting, caring, exploiting, processing, and transporting; helping people earn income and creating jobs on the spot.

Currently, the commune has 2 companies and 8 workshops processing primary forest products, thanks to which the contribution rate of the forestry sector and the economic structure of the commune accounts for 40%. Nghia Ta has formed an industrial cluster for wood processing. The commune is determined to find investors to build another industrial cluster with an area of ​​70 hectares to serve the deep processing of wood materials in the locality and neighboring areas.

In Thuong Minh commune, the Commune Party Committee has soon determined to mobilize the strength of the entire political system and the people so that agriculture and forestry can truly become the foundation and pillar of the local economy. The commune has implemented a project to develop key crops, thereby maintaining and expanding many specialty crops, such as: 76 hectares of fragrant green squash, 30 hectares of Tai sticky rice, 25 hectares of galangal, 295 hectares of tea, more than 200 hectares of star anise...

According to Director of Yen Duong Cooperative (Thuong Minh commune) Ma Thi Ninh, with guidance and connection of funding from non-governmental organizations, the unit has linked production with hundreds of ethnic minority households growing Tai sticky rice, fragrant green squash, etc. The processed products are certified to meet OCOP standards, have good consumption, and bring stable income to farmers in highland villages.

With this method, Thuong Minh is one of the communes with many OCOP products in Thai Nguyen province with 10 products from 3 to 4 stars, such as: Yen Duong dong vermicelli, Trieu Thi Ta dong vermicelli, Le Ha tea, Hoang Muoi dong vermicelli, Xa Den tea bags, Bi Thom, Tai sticky rice, Bi Thom tea...

Multiply the methodical way

Thai Nguyen not only creates livelihoods for ethnic minorities but also turns livelihoods into commodity production areas, forming production chains with cooperatives as the center and moving towards tourism development.

In My Hao hamlet, Tan Cuong commune, Thai Hai Ethnic Ecological Stilt House Village Conservation Area is one of the 5 best tourist villages in the world in Vietnam recognized by the United Nations Tourism Organization. With an area of ​​25 hectares, Thai Hai has 30 stilt houses that are hundreds of years old. Here, traditional customs and practices are kept almost intact. Therefore, Thai Hai has become a unique tourist destination of Thai Nguyen and the whole country.

In Tan Cuong commune, Hao Dat Tea Cooperative owns 50 hectares of organic tea in association with local people. Each month, the cooperative processes an average of 1,500 tons of fresh tea buds, and annually supplies the market with 250 to 300 tons of dried tea buds; builds a community tourism site including a space to experience tea gardens, grow and process tea, enjoy tea and tea-processed products. In 2024 alone, the cooperative will achieve a revenue of nearly 45 billion VND, creating jobs for more than 50 workers and hundreds of associated production households.

According to Director of the Cooperative Dao Thanh Hao, the research unit improved and introduced the tea fermentation tube into the processing process to help shorten the time for each batch to only 3-5 minutes, the tea leaves ripen evenly, keeping the green color and aroma. The unit has also proposed to the province to invest in concentrated tea production areas associated with tourism development.

Implementing the National Target Program for Ethnic Minorities and Mountainous Areas from 2022 to 2025, Thai Nguyen province has invested more than 1,786 billion VND in resources; of which, the capital for investment is more than 844 billion VND, the career capital is more than 941 billion VND. As of September 2025, the program has supported production land and job conversion for 124 households. The province has implemented 10 projects to arrange and stabilize residents for hundreds of households in the communes of Cao Minh, Thuong Quan, Tan Ky, Nghia Ta, Phuc Loc...; supported forest protection contracts for more than 2,276 hectares for residential communities at the rate of 500,000 VND/ha/year; supported forest protection for communities and households for more than 61,304 hectares of natural forest at the rate of 500,000 VND/ha/year.

Thai Nguyen has implemented 317 projects to support production development; supported more than 68 billion VND for Dong Nam Viet Trading Company Limited to take the lead in implementing investment projects, supporting the development of medicinal plant growing areas on an area of ​​225 hectares in northern communes. Regarding infrastructure, by 2025 the whole province will invest in building 598 essential infrastructure works in ethnic minority areas.

According to Director of Thai Nguyen Department of Ethnic Minorities and Religions Hoang Thanh Oai, in the coming time, the province will continue to direct and guide localities to speed up the disbursement of capital sources of the program. The key is to synchronously and effectively implement projects and sub-projects to ensure disbursement progress and investment capital efficiency, contributing to creating sustainable livelihoods for people and improving their lives.

Article and photos: THE BINH, TUAN SON

Source: https://nhandan.vn/xay-dung-vung-san-xuat-hang-hoa-hinh-thanh-chuoi-lien-ket-post917888.html