New rural construction: “renew people’s material and mental life”

Setting corn growing model at Xuan Thanh commune (Xuan Loc district)

In spite of many difficulties such as economic crisis, unfavorable weather condition and rising price of agricultural materials, etc. affecting project execution, the agricultural sector in the province has grown relatively fair. The proposed target was to soar by 10% of average income per capita and 4.2% of agricultural production value per 1 hectare. As a result, average income per capita rose from 9.35 millions dong/person/year (in 2008) to 17.4 millions dong/person/year (in 2010), which made a rise of 23%/year on an average (exceeding the target proposed in the Decision 74, and rose by 1.8 times more than that of the previous year); agricultural production value per unit rose from 41.55 millions dong/ha in 2008 to 57.13 millions dong/ha/in 2010, which increased by 18.7%/year on an average (exceeding the proposed target).

To gain those results, such policies as irrigation fee reduction and exemption and agricultural promotion have been taken into concern. The program code 134 – 135 supported the gradual improvement of income and life quality. Over 2 recent years, 218 training classes of technology transfer have been organized with more than 9,810 turns of participants. Rural families have access to effective agricultural promotion models to gradually raise productivity and quality of livestock and plants. Technological and scientific advances are applied into production to create agricultural products that are of high competitiveness and serve for agricultural and rural development. Till now, entire stage of land cleaning, corn and rice harvest at 18 typical communes resort to machines, etc.    

Production value per 1 agricultural; hectare by 2010 gained 57.13 millions dong/ha

One of key missions for new rural construction is hunger eradication and poverty reduction with an aim to reduce poor households below 1% in comparison with the previous standards of poverty. This is really difficult mission. In 2 years 2009 – 2010, the mobilized capital of above 26.7 billion dong supported more than 47.6 thousands of free healthcare insurance cards for poor people; build 426 houses and raise the percent of solid home owners up to 95%, etc. As a consequence, percentage of poor households have been lowered by below 1% at several rural communes like Xuan Dinh 0%, Xuan Bao 0%, Xuan Tan 0% and Xuan Phu 0.46%, etc.

Additionally, job training and employment seeking for rural laborers receive considerations from provincial authority. The target for 2 years is set to raise the percent of laboring time consumption by 90% and trained employees by 40 – 43% (including 30% of job trainees). Specifically, fro two years 2009-2010, there were 12,643newly-recruited and job-trained laborers, and 21,923 employments provided to laborers, which increased trained employees up to 42% completing the proposed targets in the resolution.

While production is strengthened, social and technological infrastructure are also considered. Till now, all of 18 typical rural communes have completed the restructuring of rural residential network planning. Over 2 years, communes have invested, upgraded and repaired 122 kms of rural streets and finished 44.6% of asphaltic streets. However, the percent of electricity for rural families is just 98% and 96% has access to clean water, etc.

Mr. Nguyen Dang Khoa, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, addresses at the working session in Dong Nai

Besides achievements, after 2 years of executing the Decision 74 on new rural construction made by People’s Committee, there are still many obstacles and restrictions: lack of models of converting rural and agricultural economic structures towards the elevation of production value of industry, rural and services economy; unfinished change of plants and livestock towards commodity production; unfit rural infrastructure; unsolid combination of production – harvest – processing and storage – consumption. Meanwhile, several contents are communicated slowly; embarrassment happens at internal resource mobilization and policies for priority to combine program’s target capitals at these communes to have access to credit capital and the participation of enterprises, etc.

During the recent survey and working visit in Dong Nai, Central Direction Committee of national target program of new rural construction, Mr.Nguyen Dang Khoa, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, addressed that the awareness of new rural construction are still different among rural residents. The fact is that building new rural aspects is to help residents to have a renewed life. At the same time, he also pointed out the unclear awareness exists among public servants when they think that this is the first project and wait for support capital from the government. Therefore, to succeed in building new rural residence, it is indispensable to mobilize all resources from departments, sectors and divisions as well as all classes of residents and all of political system.

Reported by Thanh Canh, Translated by Minh Minh