As a mountainous district of the city, over five years of great efforts of its authorities and people in the implementation of the new rural area program have brought remarkable achievements to Soc Son District. The district’s rural appearance has flourished and the living conditions of its farmers have increasingly been improved.
Mrs. Ngo Thi Thanh Hang, Deputy Standing Party Municipal Secretary of Hanoi City, visiting the sweet pomelo planting model in Phu Cuong Commune
Photo by Hoang Huong
Before starting the new rural area program, the district had 7 communes meeting from 5 to 10 criteria, 18 communes meeting less than 5 criteria, and 3 communes failing to meet any single criterion of the program. Having had to face this situation, the district authorities had put efforts into promoting the dissemination of information and raising awareness of its officials, leaders, Party members, and people about the implementation of the new rural area program. The district authorities had organized visits for its program officers at district, commune, and village levels as well as representatives of the people to learn from successful models inside and outside the city. Such visits had helped raise awareness and sense of responsibility in each citizen and household about the new rural area program. The motto “people know, people discuss, people do, people benefit” had been memorized by the people and turned into practical results. With determination to build new rural areas, people of Soc Son District had donated more than 8,000 m2 of residential land and garden land worth over VND 64 billion as well as thousands of working days to build roads in residential areas and intra-field irrigation works under the land consolidation policy.
As of 2016, Soc Son District had fundamentally completed the land consolidation and production planning. This was deemed a breakthrough and a remarkable achievement in agricultural production. At present, the district has completed land consolidation on more than 10.8 thousand hectares, exceeding the target assigned by the city. 965 hectares of excess area has been turned into public land for local infrastructure planning and welfare projects. After land consolidation, the agricultural production has developed in the direction of producing goods with higher quality and efficiency. Rural economic infrastructure has also been strengthened, contributing to the significant improvement of material and spiritual living conditions of the people. The district currently has 5 recognized agricultural products with a high economic value of around VND 350-400 million per hectare, namely Soc Son organic vegetables, Bac Son safe tea, Soc Son sticky rice, and two others.
The people of Soc Son actively engages in land consolidation and applies science and technology into production to improve labor productivity. Photo by Hien Hoa
As of the end of 2016, Soc Son District had 15 out of 25 communes meeting the standards set out for the new rural area program. Socio-economic infrastructure, including roads, schools, medical stations, and cultural houses, has received investment. Housing conditions and power and water supply for the people have been guaranteed. The remaining 10 communes have met from 14 to 17 criteria. The average income per capita has reached VND 29.8 million per year (an increase of VND 11.8 million compared to 2010). The quality of medical examination and treatment has also been improved. The district no longer has dilapidated houses and 90% its houses have now met the standards set out by the Ministry of Construction. The political system has been strengthened and social security in rural areas has been ensured.
From now to 2020, Soc Son District will develop its agriculture towards the model of an ecological urban area’s agriculture with high-quality, safe, and highly competitive products. The growth rate of the agricultural sector is expected to reach from 2.5% to 3% per year. To achieve these targets, the district has issued specific policies to encourage businesses to invest in production and enhance the link among farmers, businesses, and scientists with the support of the State to form production chains and support mechanisms for land rent and loans. This will create stable sources of consumption for agricultural products and help raise the confidence of farmers and promote production. The district will also build modern rural socio-economic infrastructure with rational economic structure and suitable forms of organizing production that link hi-tech agriculture and clean, safe technologies with the rapid development of the industry and handicraft sectors. With this momentum, sustainable rural development is very promising and farmers’ living conditions are likely to increasingly advance.
Nguyen Minh