Mr. Nguyen Dinh Trung (born in 1971) - Secretary of the Ha Vang village Party cell, Director of Ha Vang Agricultural Trade and Service Cooperative, Vuong Loc commune (Can Loc - Ha Tinh) is affectionately called by farmers with many names such as "barefoot director", "old farmer with a passion for rice fields"... He has devoted all his heart and soul to building his own rice brand with the people, opening a direction for sustainable development in the rice land.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Trung (born in 1971) - Secretary of the Ha Vang village Party cell, Director of Ha Vang Agricultural Trade and Service Cooperative, Vuong Loc commune (Can Loc - Ha Tinh) is affectionately called by farmers with many names such as "barefoot director", "old farmer with a passion for rice fields"... He has devoted all his heart and soul to building his own rice brand with the people, opening a direction for sustainable development in the rice land.
For a long time, we have known Mr. Nguyen Dinh Trung (born in 1971) - Secretary of the Ha Vang Village Party Cell, Vuong Loc Commune, Director of Ha Vang Agricultural Service and Trade Cooperative through stories told by Vuong Loc people. Ha Vang villagers often talk about him with affectionate feelings, calling him by simple names such as "barefoot director", "old farmer who loves fields". He is rarely at home, spending all day working on the fields; sometimes he is busy in commune and village meetings to discuss new directions in agricultural production. The day we arranged to meet, the conversation also took place on the field that still smelled of new soil.
Mr. Trung (second from left) and the Ha Vang village cadre union and farmers discussed the plan to implement Resolution 01-NQ/HU of the Standing Committee of Can Loc District Party Committee on focusing on directing and leading the implementation of the land consolidation project before the 2023 spring crop.
Mr. Trung confided: “I come from a poor farming family in Vuong Loc commune. After being discharged from the army in 1993, I returned to my hometown to work in the village, and in 1998 I was elected as the village party secretary. At that time, the family economy was still facing many difficulties, and life depended on a few acres of rice fields. The fields were fragmented, production was small, and everyone did their own thing. In addition, the risks of weather, unstable market output, and many fluctuations made life difficult to improve. There was a time when I planned to leave farming to change my life, but after much tossing and turning, my love for the fields kept me going.”
In those days, the question of how to “awaken” the potential of the fields? was always on the mind of the farmer - the cadre of Ha Vang village, Nguyen Dinh Trung. After much research and study, Mr. Trung realized that: if you want to develop, you must innovate and grasp the market trends. However, putting the new into practice is extremely difficult, when the thinking and production habits of the people still follow the old ways.
The policy of converting and concentrating land has opened up opportunities for him and the people in Ha Vang village to "awaken" the potential of the fields.
To create consensus, he sought out authorities at all levels to express his views and ask for support. He also strengthened propaganda and mobilized people through Party cell meetings, village meetings, directly propagandizing each household and demonstrating to people with specific and detailed production plans... However, on the path of innovation, difficulties always seem to test the determination of village cadres.
That was in the spring crop of 2017, the village tested the production of the new LP5 rice variety, which was attacked by rice blast disease, causing the whole village to lose its crop. Then in the summer-autumn crop of 2020, when he had just officially taken over the position of Director of Ha Vang Agricultural Service and Trade Cooperative after the commune converted the old cooperative model to a new one, Ha Vang village pioneered the "Footprintless Field" model, using 100% mechanization on an area of 20 hectares. At the end of that year's rice crop, due to lack of experience in economic accounting, the model was at a loss. Mr. Trung had to reluctantly spend 150 million VND to cover the loss for the people.
Mr. Nguyen Dinh Trung's life is always attached to the rice of his homeland.
Mr. Trung recalls: “In those days, many people in the village avoided me when they saw my shadow in front of the gate, some strongly opposed me in meetings, some even asked me to leave the villagers alone... I was also very sad, but after many days of thinking, I still believed in my direction. I just wanted a change in production. Because, I am also a farmer born from the fields and love the soil of the fields very much.”
The indomitable spirit of Uncle Ho's soldiers and party members, along with valuable lessons learned from failures and the belief that the fields will not let people down, has given him more motivation to continue to stand up.
More than 30 hectares of fragmented fields in Ha Vang have been converted into large plots of fields, favorable for production, applying scientific and technical advances.
The year 2021 marks a new turning point for Vuong Loc commune in general and Ha Vang village in particular when Resolution 01-NQ/HU of the Standing Committee of Can Loc District Party Committee on focusing on directing and leading the implementation of the land concentration project to Vuong Loc commune. The more carefully he studies the resolution and project, the more Party Cell Secretary Nguyen Dinh Trung is satisfied, because he knows that this is the "key" to open a major direction in agricultural production to create a breakthrough in the fields.
More than 30 hectares of fragmented fields in Ha Vang have been converted into large plots of fields, favorable for production, applying scientific and technical advances.
Determined to convert the entire village's production land with an area of over 30 hectares, he and the executive committee and party members in the party cell took on a new challenge. That was to propagate, create consensus, and put the policies and resolutions of the higher levels into practice. At that time, he could not remember how many meetings he had chaired with the village cadre union to organize with the villagers; there were meetings that lasted until 2 a.m. with heated and fierce discussions; there were also meetings organized in each inter-family group, each family group in the people's house or right on the edge of the field...
The enthusiasm of the Party cell secretary and his passion for the fields spread and created consensus among the people. Just like that, more than 30 hectares of fragmented fields in Ha Vang were converted into large plots of fields, favorable for production, applying scientific and technical advances.
Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Vo Trong Hai, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Linh and leaders of a number of relevant departments, branches and localities inspected the land conversion and accumulation model in Ha Vang village, Vuong Loc commune in the spring crop of 2023.
During the production process, Party Secretary Nguyen Dinh Trung was always present in the fields, encouraging people to stick to the production plan, strictly follow the crop calendar, and "holding hands" to guide them on how to care for and prevent pests and diseases. Thanks to that, right in the first crop produced using the new method, Ha Vang village was one of the localities with the highest rice yield in the district with 64 quintals/ha and the following summer-autumn crop reached 56 quintals/ha. The products were also guaranteed at a higher price than the market, bringing complete joy to the farmers.
Ms. Ton Thi Hue (Ha Vang village) shared: “Previously, my family had 6 sao, 4 plots with many types of soil, farming was very difficult. But since the land conversion, the fields have been unified, from land preparation, seeds to production and harvesting processes, all are managed by the Cooperative and are responsible for the harvesting, packaging and consumption stages. We just need to stand on the shore waiting for traders to come and then sell rice, collect money, instead of running around to hire labor like before. Nearly 120 households in the village have absolute trust in the leadership of Party Cell Secretary - Cooperative Director Nguyen Dinh Trung”.
Entering the third year since the conversion of its operating model to a new cooperative model, Ha Vang Agricultural Service and Trade Cooperative has been consolidated and stabilized. The result is a process of researching projects, absorbing policies and mobilizing members to change their thinking.
Village Party Secretary Nguyen Dinh Trung (standing second from left) is always present in the fields, encouraging people to stick with the production plan. Photo: Archive.
Mr. Nguyen Van Thai - a member of the cooperative shared: “At that time, when listening to Mr. Trung share about wanting to do “big”, members had to accept to invest capital to buy machinery to apply in production such as: land preparation machines, harvesters, dryers... we were very confused. Borrowing and managing hundreds of millions of dong for farmers is not an easy thing. However, Mr. Trung's desire to build a stronger cooperative, improve agricultural products and production thinking to keep up with market trends really spread and convinced us”.
Director of Ha Vang Agricultural Service and Trade Cooperative Nguyen Dinh Trung discussed with members of the cooperative about production direction for the next crop.
After a long process of building and “correcting mistakes”, the cooperative has 11 members with a fixed capital of 3.3 billion VND, of which 1.5 billion VND is working capital. The cooperative’s service of supplying machinery for agricultural production has been expanded, serving the needs of people in and outside the district; each year, the cooperative purchases and consumes hundreds of tons of rice for people.
Bustling image of farmers in Ha Vang village purchasing rice in the fields after the 2023 summer-autumn rice harvest (Photo left). Every year, the cooperative purchases and consumes hundreds of tons of rice for people (Photo right).
The effective and stable operation of the cooperative has become a premise, empowering Mr. Trung and his members to boldly implement the idea of building Ha Vang rice products that meet OCOP standards to increase economic value for people. Accordingly, to strengthen the profile and brand recognition, in the winter-spring crop of 2021, the cooperative started to produce rice according to VietGAP process and achieved certification 1 year later. In parallel with this, Mr. Trung also proactively coordinated with the commune and consulting company to learn about procedures to build an OCOP brand for rice products.
Sharing the joy with the local people, Chairman of the People's Committee of Vuong Loc Commune Nguyen Minh Vy said: "From the development of rice meeting 3-star OCOP standards, Ha Vang farmers have truly taken a step forward in the new way of farming. This achievement is made from the trust and consensus of the people with the desire to create a breakthrough in agricultural production, especially in the "pioneering, first step" role of Party Cell Secretary - Director of Cooperative Nguyen Dinh Trung".
Joy was evident on the faces of Mr. Trung and the cooperative members because their efforts had borne "sweet fruit".
The certificates of merit from the Party Committee and authorities at all levels are the motivation for him to continue trying on the challenging road ahead.
The passion for sustainable agricultural development was born and nurtured from the passion and respect for every inch of his homeland. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Trung has spread his love for the fields to his members and farmers by doing practical and bold things, opening a new direction for local rice production. This is the important factor for Ha Vang Agricultural Service and Trade Cooperative to become a solid support for farmers and one of the most effective cooperatives in the rice district.
Up to now, the cooperative owns a large field of more than 30 hectares to deploy OCOP rice production. But for Mr. Trung, that area is still small, the products made have not met the increasing consumption needs of consumers. Therefore, to expand the market and create conditions for people to increase their income, he plans that after the summer-autumn crop of 2023, the cooperative will continue to promote the expansion of the linked area to about 150 hectares.
After the 2023 summer-autumn crop, the cooperative will continue to improve the land and expand the concentrated rice growing area to prepare for the next spring crop.
Over 30 years of attachment to his homeland, Mr. Nguyen Dinh Trung has drawn great lessons for himself, wanting to develop agriculture cannot be done alone but must cooperate and form joint ventures along the value chain. And, the presence of 3-star OCOP rice products of Ha Vang Agricultural Service Trading Cooperative is an important milestone in the journey of large-scale production and sustainable development.
Article, photos, videos: Thuy Ngoc - Thai Oanh
Design: Thanh Nam
1:23:10:2023:09:00
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