(HBO) – A slow change in the economic structure, along with difficulties in production due to natural disasters, droughts and abnormal fluctuations of the market, have challenged the process of poverty reduction in Lap Chieng commune, Kim Boi district, the northern mountainous province of Hoa Binh.

Lap Chieng has been received assistance from the government through Programmes 135 which is designed to help poor communes in ethnic minority-inhabited and mountainous areas with socio-economic development. The commune  is about 10 km from the centre of Kim Boi district. 

Lap Chieng commune comprises three villages, Lap, Chieng and Khoay, with 438 households. Despite its favorable geographical location, only 3km from Road 12B and having concreted inter-communal roads, the transformation of Lap Chieng’s economic structure remains slow, failing to match its potential. Therefore, the poverty rate in the commune in 2016 was still high, at 44.8 percent, with the per capita income reaching only 14 million VND per year.

Small rice fields and droughts have caused difficulties to production in Lap Chieng commune (Kim Boi district). Photo taken in Chieng village.

By the end of 2016, Lap Chieng had fulfilled 12 criteria of new-style rural area building. Currently, along with the criteria that require large investment resources, the commune finds it hard to achieve the criteria in raising local people’s income. Local residents mostly rely on agriculture without commercial products. The policy of "land mergence and field exchange” has not been implemented because of a lack of consensus among local farmers.

According to the Secretary of the commune’s Party Committee, in 2016, when the price of pork increased sharply, many households in Lap Chieng invested in expanding pig farms. Therefore, when the price of pork slumped, local farmers fell into the situation of "double loss." As a result, this year's target of increasing the per capita income to 15 million VND per person per year is likely unreachable.

Among the three villages, Khoay village has the poorest transport system, which hinders the locality to tap its potential in forestry and bamboo shoot growing.

In Chieng village, fields are filled with different colours these days. At the beginning of the village, some rice fields are ripe and are ready for harvesting. Meanwhile, some other fields are still green and mixed with weeds. Some maize fields are stunned because of exhausted land.

Bui Van Chien, head of Chieng village, said that farming land in the village is divided into three areas, two of which often suffer severely droughts. Some fields are left deserted because "there is no water for farming." 

In Dong Me area, many fields are quite large but do not have enough water for rice cultivation, thus becoming cattle grazing areas. Some other fields have been cultivated with rice but they have seen more weeds than paddy. Chieng village has three water reservoirs but the water volume is still not enough as the water reserve depends on rains.

The Secretary of the commune Party Committee stressed the need to focus on communications to fulfil the plan of "field mergence and field exchange”, creating favourable conditions for the restructuring of the local economy. Alongside, it is important to find crops and livestock which are suitable to the local conditions, he said, adding that in the near future, the commune will focus on promoting forest plantation and cultivation of safe and clean vegetables.

                                             Viet Dao

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