Farmers' trusted support

Many farming households are supported with loans to develop economic models.

Implementing production and business models, farmers often face the most difficulty in capital. Timely grasping the needs of farmers, the Provincial Farmers' Association has effectively implemented activities to support members.

Currently, the Farmers Support Fund is managing 22,089 billion VND. In recent times, the Provincial Farmers' Association has implemented and expanded projects to borrow capital from the Farmers Support Fund. Up to now, the whole province is implementing 63 projects to develop crop cultivation; raise buffaloes and cows for breeding; raise pigs, and raise aquatic products with 496 households borrowing capital.

At the same time, the Farmers' Association at all levels coordinated with the Social Policy Bank to implement a loan trust program with a total outstanding loan balance of VND 939,234 billion for 20,459 borrowers. Coordinated with the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development to implement Decree No. 55/ND-CP on credit policy for agricultural and rural development, creating loans for farmers to develop production.

In addition to capital support, Farmers' Associations at all levels focus on supporting farmers in accessing science and technology and vocational training. After training, over 85% of farmers have jobs, improving the quality of available jobs, contributing to increased income.

Mr. Do Xuan Ket checks the honey bee cage.

From the support activities of the Farmers' Association, many farmers have changed their awareness, thinking, and working methods, boldly investing and exploiting labor and land potential to develop production, expand industries and services to create diverse products and bring high economic efficiency.

Previously, Mr. Do Xuan Ket's family, village C10, Sam Mun commune (Dien Bien district) focused on growing two crops of rice and vegetables. Life was not too difficult but could not become well-off. After many years of observation and research, Mr. Ket realized that Dien Bien province had advantages in forests, with many types of natural wild flowers and wild flower honey as a specialty product. With the support of the Farmers' Association, Mr. Ket realized his intention of raising honey bees to develop the economy. With the motto "taking short-term to nurture long-term", at first Mr. Ket only raised 70 - 80 beehives. After many years of accumulating experience and capital, Mr. Ket now maintains a stable 600 beehives, harvesting 25 - 30 tons of honey/year.

Mr. Do Xuan Ket said: “The model gives an average income of about 400 - 500 million VND/year. Expanding the production scale, I have created stable jobs for 12 workers, with a salary of 5 million VND/person/month”.

Developing the comprehensive VACR economic model, Mr. Lo Van Pang created jobs for about 500 local workers. In the photo: Workers take care of goats in Mr. Pang's VACR model.

As for Mr. Lo Van Pang (Na Tau commune, Dien Bien Phu city), he is a typical example of converting the crop structure on the fields from traditional crops to growing arrowroot. With an initial capital of 100 million VND, Mr. Pang invested in buying seeds to plant, at the same time mobilizing people in the village to plant and committed to consuming the products. In the following years, arrowroot had a good harvest and good price, and the people of Na Tau commune had a fairly high and stable income. Mr. Pang's family's economy also gradually improved.

With a concentrated raw material area, Mr. Pang invested in building factories and technological lines to process cassava, both increasing the value of the product and creating jobs for local people. Besides cassava, Mr. Lo Van Pang also developed other models of cultivation, livestock and general business.

The number of good farming and business households at all levels is increasing, contributing to the transformation of the agricultural and rural service economic structure.

Mr. Lo Van Pang said: Currently, my family has 5 hectares of arrowroot trees that yield 200 tons of tubers each year, 5 hectares of coffee trees that yield 7 tons of coffee husks per year; 20 hectares of macadamia trees; 3 hectares of fruit trees; 5 hectares of commercial fish farming; a livestock farm; 1 arrowroot vermicelli factory; 4 arrowroot starch processing facilities... Average income is over 1 billion VND/year. I commit to purchasing arrowroot products for 500 households; creating jobs for about 500 local workers, helping poor households in the commune with capital; providing technical guidance and production experience to 50 members.

Ms. Vang Thi Binh, Chairwoman of the Provincial Farmers' Association, said: By strengthening support activities combined with launching many effective emulation movements, the Farmers' Association at all levels has been and is a reliable support for farmers in the province. Thanks to creative and effective ways of doing things, the number of good farming and business households at all levels is increasing, contributing to the restructuring of the agricultural economy and rural services, effectively implementing the Project on restructuring the agricultural sector associated with building new rural areas. Currently, the whole province has 3,029 good production and business households; of which the cultivation sector accounts for 32.4%; the livestock sector 26.6%; aquaculture 0.6%; trade and services 7% and general production and business accounts for 33.4%.

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