In recent years, the socio-economic situation of ethnic minority and mountainous areas has gradually developed. However, this is still a difficult area compared to the general level of the province. Identifying this as a "core poor" area, the province has prioritized many investment resources for this area, including social policy credit loans.
Staff of the Transaction Office of the Social Policy Bank of Huong Hoa district disburses preferential loans to people of Huong Lap commune - Photo: TN
The ethnic minority and mountainous areas of Quang Tri province account for 68% of the province's natural area, and are strategically important in terms of politics, economy, national defense, and security on the Vietnam-Laos border. The entire region has 31 communes and towns, including 1 commune in area I, 2 communes in area II, and 28 communes in area III. The ethnic minority population is 21,960 households, 97,021 people (accounting for 14% of the province's population), with 2 main ethnic communities being the Bru - Van Kieu and Pa Ko.
In recent years, the development of livelihoods for poor ethnic minority households has always been of interest and focus to localities. Thanks to that, the poverty rate has not only decreased year by year but its sustainability has also been significantly improved.
According to data from the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, in the period of 2021 - 2024, the poverty rate in the whole province decreased by an average of 1.26%/year, meeting the plan compared to the target assigned by the central government and the Provincial People's Council (an average decrease of 1% - 1.5%/year), in which the poverty rate in poor Dakrong district decreased by an average of 5.38%, exceeding the target assigned by the Provincial People's Council resolution (4.5% - 5%/year); the poverty rate of ethnic minority households decreased by an average of over 7.3%/year, exceeding the target assigned by the Provincial People's Council resolution (over 4%/year). To achieve the above results, in the policies and support resources of the State for this area, there is an effective source of support from social policy credit capital.
A typical case is the family of Mr. Ho Van Nghinh (born in 1992), in Xa Dung village, Huong Viet commune, Huong Hoa district. After getting married and moving out, he gave birth to his first child with a disability. Meanwhile, the area where Mr. Nghinh's family lives is a particularly difficult border area, so life is very difficult. In December 2017, he was able to borrow 20 million VND from the poor household capital source at the District Social Policy Bank Transaction Office to buy 2 cows. That was the first asset and livelihood of the couple.
By June 2020, as a beneficiary of the production loan program under Decision 2085/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister approving specific policies to support socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the period 2017 - 2020, Mr. Nghinh was able to borrow an additional 80 million VND with an interest rate of 3.3%/year (equal to 1/2 of the interest rate for poor households).
With the experience in raising livestock accumulated over the past time, the couple decided to use this capital to invest in raising buffaloes. Thanks to his hard work and knowing how to calculate to repay the bank loan, by November 2023, Mr. Nghinh continued to borrow 100 million VND from the capital to support job creation, maintain and solve employment for ethnic minorities residing in extremely difficult areas with a loan interest rate of 3.98%/year (equal to 1/2 of the interest rate for near-poor households). From this capital, he invested in expanding the livestock model and planting production forests.
Thus, with 3 loans totaling 200 million VND from the Social Policy Bank, Mr. Nghinh has developed a livestock model including 4 cows, 15 buffaloes, 10 goats and planted 5 hectares of cajuput. Currently, the cajuput forest has not been harvested, but the herd of livestock brings the family an average income of over 50 million VND per year. In 2019, Mr. Nghinh applied to escape poverty, but because the family has a disabled first child, the local authorities considered him a poor household to have the conditions to treat his child's illness.
“Thanks to preferential loans from the Social Policy Bank, my wife and I have been able to make a living, have jobs and a stable income. My family’s life has become much less difficult than before. My wife and I will save money to pay interest and regularly deposit money into the loan group every month and save to gradually pay off the principal,” Nghinh shared.
In recent times, the Social Policy Bank, Quang Tri branch, has closely coordinated with entrusted socio-political organizations; established a network of savings and loan groups to help people access the State's preferential credit policies right at their place of residence quickly, easily, saving time and costs. Up to now, social policy loans have "covered" 100% of communes, wards and towns in the area, in which the branch has focused on prioritizing capital for people in remote, isolated and extremely disadvantaged areas.
Up to now, the whole province has 2.3 thousand ethnic minority households accessing preferential loans from banks. Not only Mr. Nghinh but many households have borrowed capital from 2 to 3 preferential credit programs to invest in agricultural and forestry production, buffalo and cattle breeding, construction and repair of houses, clean water works, environmental sanitation, support for children's education costs... Thereby, contributing to improving and enhancing the quality of life, changing awareness and production methods, helping poor households, especially ethnic minority households in difficult areas, step by step develop their family economy and become rich legitimately.
To improve the effectiveness of social policy capital in disadvantaged areas, remote areas, ethnic minority and mountainous areas, in the coming time, the Provincial Social Policy Bank will continue to direct transaction offices to closely coordinate with local Party committees, authorities, and socio-political organizations to continue effectively implementing social policy credit activities.
The branch will prioritize the allocation of policy credit capital for localities with high rates of poor and near-poor households, localities with difficult economic conditions, and poor districts; further link the implementation of social credit programs with effective production and business models in line with the socio-economic development strategy in remote, isolated, and particularly disadvantaged areas.
Thuy Ngoc
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/uu-tien-von-chinh-sach-xa-hoi-cho-vung-loi-ngheo-190326.htm
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