Support farmers to develop sustainable agriculture

Mr. Le Trong Nghia (Kien Binh commune, Tan Thanh district) receives a loan of 100 million VND from the Farmer Support Fund to convert production from raising pangasius fish to growing fruit trees.

Effectiveness of the Farmer Support Fund

According to Vice Chairman of the Provincial Farmers' Union - Tran Quoc Quan, among solutions to support farmers, preferential loans and capital from the Farmers' Union Fund are fundamental solutions to help many members in economic development. In the first 6 months of 2024, the Farmers' Union Fund at all levels received more than 5.4 billion VND from the budget and Farmers' Association members.

Currently, with a total capital of more than 82.6 billion VND, Farmers' Unions at all levels in the province are implementing project-based loans with an average amount of 20-100 million VND/project; The lending entities are members with suitable production model to local advantages.

In addition, Farmers' Unions at all levels create conditions for farmers to access preferential loan sources. Currently, all Unions facilities have signed trust contracts with the Bank for Social Policies through the activities of 820 savings and loan groups, helping more than 39,300 members borrow capital with a total outstanding debt of more than 1,700 billion.

The Farmers' Union at all levels also signed an agreement with the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development branchs to maintain the operation of 376 loan groups, with 6,345 participating members and a total outstanding debt of more than 1,800 billion VND.

Once in difficult circumstances, now Mr. Huynh Van Huu Hiep's family (Long Cang commune, Can Duoc district) has a stable life. In addition to Mr. Hiep's hard work, daring to think, and daring to do, he also received support from authorities at all levels and the Farmers' Union of Long Cang commune.

Mr. Huynh Van Huu Hiep (Long Cang commune, Can Duoc district) informs about his nearly 20-day-old cucumber garden to officials of the Farmers' Union of Long Cang commune.

In 2022, the Farmers' Union Fund of Can Duoc district supported loans for Mr. Hiep to develop production. With a loan of 50 million VND, he invested in buying seeds, irrigation systems, and fertilizers to grow vegetables. He also participated in training and technical guidance on vegetable caring. Thanks to that, his vegetable garden grew quickly. He paid the loan on time and continued to borrow new capital to expand production scale.

“From the loan from the District Farmers' Union, my family has the conditions to invest in production. The vegetables that I often grow are cucumbers, gourds, squash, bitter melon, etc. On average, each year, I produce 3-4 crops, with a profit of 40-70 million VND per crop" - Mr. Hiep share.

Can Duoc District Farmers' Union surveyed the scallion garden of Ms. Le Thi Tien (Long Hoa commune, Can Duoc district)

Ms. Le Thi Tien (Long Hoa commune, Can Duoc district) also received a loan from the District Farmers' Union Fund. Looking at her family's 0.7 hectare lush green scallion garden with an economical irrigation system installed, Ms. Tien happily said: "After receiving a loan of 70 million VND, I invested in improving the land, installing an irrigation system and buying fertilizer. At the same time, I also researched and applied scientific and technical advances in production. Thanks to that, my scallion garden grows really well. Currently, scallion has a selling price of about 33,000 VND/kg. With this price, I have a profit of about 15,000 VND/kg."

According to Chairman of Farmers' Union of Can Duoc district - Huynh Van Phat, the Farmers' Union Fund has become a basis to help people overcome difficulties; build and replicate many effective economic development models; expand production scale, diversify forms of collective economy in rural areas, thereby contributing to promoting agricultural production and building new rural areas in localities.

In Tan Thanh district, capital from the Farmers' Union Fund was effectively deployed, helping farmers convert and develop production. Mr. Le Trong Nghia (Kien Binh commune, Tan Thanh district) after many unprofitable pangasius breeding crops, wanted to switch to growing fruit trees. However, he did not have enough capital to fill the pond and buy seedlings. Knowing that the District Farmers' Union has created conditions for farmers to borrow capital for production, Mr. Nghia submitted an application and was approved for a loan of 100 million VND.

The Provincial Farmers' Union regularly surveys cooperatives in the province to promptly support farmers

Mr. Nghia confided: "Thanks to the loan, I could improve the land, switched from raising pangasius to growing Thai jackfruit mixed with durian. Currently, I have harvested one batch of jackfruit with a yield of about 15 tons, and the durian garden is more than 1 year old and growing well."

According to the Provincial Farmers' Union, to support farmers, the Provincial Farmers' Union Fund Executive Board coordinates with the Farmers' Unions at all levels to implement loan projects for production development; appraise and promptly disburse capital sources. The Union also provides technical and production organization management skills training to help farmers develop production, promote digital transformation, participate in using e-commerce services.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial Farmers' Union - Tran Quoc Quan informed: "In the coming time, the Union will continue to promote the effectiveness of the Farmers' Union Fund by prioritizing the replication of linkage models in the direction of value chains associated with key products of each locallity. At the same time, the Union will continue to accompany all levels to strengthen propaganda to connect and cooperate in production and develop large-scale commodity production areas.

The Unions has encouraged farmers to strengthen the application of science and technology, promote mechanization, build agricultural models applying high technology, organic agriculture, clean agriculture, production along the value chain, and improve the quality, value and competitiveness of agricultural products. Since then, farmers have gradually changed their production habits and practices from traditional, changed from small-scale to large-scale production methods, creating a shift in production thinking, in accordance with new trends."

Continue to accompany and support

Implementing the sustainable agricultural and rural development strategy, the Provincial Agriculture sector aims to build commodity agriculture based on local advantages, in a modern direction, ensuring productivity, quality, environmental friendliness; strive to form an advanced agriculture, with products meeting international standards, and deeply participate in the global value chain.

To achieve the goal, the province's Agriculture sector has been flexibly and synchronously applying smart solutions to production, by perfecting the agricultural production structure associated with competitive advantages and market requirements.

Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development - Nguyen Thanh Truyen said: "In the coming time, the Agriculture sector will advise the Provincial People's Committee and coordinate with relevant departments and branches to create conditions for farmers to access priority credit capital sources to restructure high-quality plant and livestock varieties; prioritize expanding the scale of agricultural production according to VietGAP standards and organic agriculture to increase economic efficiency on the same unit of cultivated area.

The sector will also support to promote production - consumption links between farmers and businesses to ensure output for agricultural products; build trademarks and product brands protected by intellectual property; combine to development of diverse types of trade, services, agricultural eco-tourism, etc.

In addition, through industrial and agricultural promotion programs, the sector supports machinery and equipment for production establishments to develop processing industries, improve designs and product quality; apply technological solutions to trace the origin of products; support trade and brand promotion of OCOP products; etc".

Along the support of functional sectors, each farmer also needs to proactively explore, learn, and innovate thinking and production methods to build a modern, sustainable agriculture./ .

By Bui Tung - Translated by Q. Thien

Source: https://baolongan.vn/ho-tro-nong-dan-phat-trien-nong-nghiep-ben-vung-a179119.html