Tra Vinh firmly steps towards the new rural finish line

Ms. Thach Thi Na Quy, Thanh Tri B hamlet, Da Loc commune, Chau Thanh district has been able to escape near poverty for more than a year now thanks to access to preferential loans for small business.

Changing the face of the countryside from phum to soc

Da Loc Commune, Chau Thanh District has nearly 3,600 households; of which, Khmer households account for over 80%. This once extremely difficult land has now put on a new, beautiful coat. Straight concrete roads, new, spacious houses, and the colors of flowers and leaves along both sides of the new rural roads leading to each hamlet.

Comrade Dong Ngoc Tu, Chairman of the People's Committee of Da Loc commune, said that in recent times, the locality has benefited from many policies of the Party and State to comprehensively develop the Khmer ethnic area and build a new rural commune (NTM). Along with investing in and completing the infrastructure system to serve the requirements of socio-economic development, local Khmer people also have access to policies to support housing, residential land, production land, job creation, loans for production development, and access to electricity and clean water. Thanks to that, the material and spiritual life of Khmer people has been significantly improved. With the investment of the State, along with the contribution of the people, in 2021, Da Loc commune will meet the NTM standards. The average income per capita of people in the commune in 2024 will reach nearly 62 million VND/year, an increase of 11.6 million VND/year compared to 2020 and more than 3 times higher than in 2010.

The family of Ms. Thach Thi Na Quy, Thanh Tri B Hamlet, Da Loc Commune has been out of near-poverty for more than a year now thanks to access to preferential loans for small businesses. Ms. Na Quy said that previously, because she had to take care of her young children, she could not work for many years, all expenses and expenses in the family depended on the small income from her husband's hired work. Therefore, the family's life fell into the category of near-poor households, often having to "tighten their belts". In early 2023, she was able to access a program for near-poor households to borrow capital to develop the family economy. With a loan of 70 million VND, she opened a small grocery store at home for a stable income. Every month, the profit from sales can cover expenses and deposit 4-5 million VND to the Savings and Loan Group to gradually pay off bank debts.

According to Huynh Kim Nhan, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Tra Vinh province, in 2010, before starting to build a new rural area, Tra Vinh province had a very low starting point, with communes on average not meeting 5 out of 19 criteria according to the set of criteria for new rural areas at that time; there were 24 communes and 52 hamlets with special difficulties under the Government's Program 135; the hardened traffic roads only reached an average of about 40% compared to regulations. Basic irrigation only met about 50% of the needs for agricultural production; 70% of schools at all levels did not ensure facilities and teaching equipment; cultural facilities were still rudimentary, communes and hamlets did not have cultural houses or sports areas. Along with that, there were many temporary and dilapidated houses; the poverty rate was still up to 23.63%; the average income per capita was only 19.47 million VND/year.

When the national target program on New Rural Development was implemented, with the high political determination of the entire political system; each sector and level developed plans and determined implementation content; people and economic sectors actively participated and responded... from there, the program created a widespread influence throughout the province.

Join hands and unite to build a new countryside

Identifying the implementation of the National Target Program on New Rural Development as a great opportunity, helping the province gain a strong "rebound" to positively change the appearance of the countryside and improve all aspects of life for the people, the Provincial Party Committee has raised its determination and focused all resources on implementation. Tra Vinh Provincial Party Committee has closely directed and requested all levels, sectors and localities in the province to follow the motto in New Rural Development as "Party's will, people's heart"; "The State and the People work together, people inspect, people benefit", determined to achieve the goal of helping Tra Vinh province complete the task of New Rural Development before 2025.

Over the past 14 years, the province has mobilized resources from the Central, local, capital combined from programs and projects in the area, credit sources, businesses, people... with a total amount of over 27,414 billion VND to implement the New Rural Development Program. In particular, Tra Vinh people have donated land, fruit trees, crops, working days... with a total value of over 1,708 billion VND to join hands with local authorities to implement the program.

With the high determination of local authorities and Party committees, and the efforts of the people, Tra Vinh province has reached the NTM finish line as planned.

The whole Tra Vinh province has 85/85 communes meeting the new rural standards, 51 advanced new rural communes, 09 model new rural communes; 09/09 districts, towns and cities have been recognized by the Prime Minister as meeting the standards and completing the new rural construction task; in which Cau Ke and Tieu Can districts have met the advanced new rural standards. The national target program on new rural construction has changed the face of rural areas, the socio-economic infrastructure system has been completed; especially the rural traffic system, intra-field traffic, school system, cultural facilities and public welfare works have been invested in spaciously.

Currently, the average income per capita in rural areas has increased more than 4 times compared to 2010; the poverty rate has decreased rapidly to only 0.87% in 2024. The development gap between rural and urban areas has gradually narrowed, and the number of households with average, good, and rich living standards in the province has increased every year.

In particular, in 2024, despite difficult conditions, Tra Vinh achieved and exceeded 26/27 targets; economic structure shifted in the right direction; growth (GRDP) reached 10.04%; ranked 8th in the country and first in the Mekong Delta; GRDP per capita reached 94.37 million VND/year.

Chairman of Tra Vinh Provincial People's Committee Le Van Han shared that New Rural Development is a continuous, long-term process that has a starting point but no end point and is the task of the entire political system, with the sole goal of constantly improving the quality of material and spiritual life for the people. The State plays a guiding and supporting role, and the people are the main subjects. In the upcoming development period, the province will continue to take advantage of support resources from the National Target Program on New Rural Development, focusing on leadership, direction, and mobilization of other resources to maintain and improve the quality of New Rural Development and Advanced New Rural Development criteria at the commune and district levels, towards exemplary New Rural Development.

Flower route in the elevated NTM district of Cau Ke.

Tra Vinh province advocates sustainable and effective agricultural development, ensuring food security; comprehensive rural development associated with urbanization, with synchronous and modern infrastructure and socio-economy. Farmers and rural residents in the province have increasingly high levels of education, material and spiritual life, and are in control of the agricultural and rural development process.

By 2025, Tra Vinh province aims to have at least 01 more district and 06 communes meeting the standards of advanced NTM communes; 05 communes meeting the standards of model NTM communes; increasing the average income per capita in rural areas to 71.5 million VND/person/year; the rate of multidimensional poverty according to NTM criteria to less than 0.5%. In the period of 2025 - 2030, the province will have at least 02 more districts meeting the standards of advanced NTM communes; 70% of communes meeting the standards of advanced NTM communes, of which 40% are model NTM communes. The average income per capita in rural areas will be 1.5 times higher than in 2025 and there will be no more poor households according to NTM criteria.

Article and photos: THANH HOA

Source: https://www.baotravinh.vn/xay-dung-nong-thon-moi/tra-vinh-vung-buoc-ve-dich-nong-thon-moi-44594.html