Businesses in Lang Son province actively participate in new rural development

– The movement of new rural development (NRD) in recent years attracting the attention of both the political system and the people from all walks of life has achieved many important results. In which, businesses have actively participated in the program of new rural development in the province.

At the end of March 2021, the Provincial Business Association (PBA) had a field trip to survey the new rural development in Chien Thang commune, Chi Lang district. After the visit, businesses of the Association donated nearly 30 million VND (in cash and in kind) to the commune in order to promptly build and renovate Na Nhi school. At the same time, they pledged to continue to accompany and support 2 billion VND for the commune while the commune is striving to achieve the goal of meeting the new rural standards by 2023.

Mr. Linh Van Quy, Chairman of the Commune People’s Committee shared: “Up to March 2021, Chien Thang commune, Chi Lang district has achieved 11/19 criteria for new rural development and strived to achieve 13/19 criteria by the end of the year. The interest and support of PBA and provincial businesses is not only the fund, but also a great source of encouragement for the Party Committee, the government and the people of the commune to achieve the goals of this year and the following years.”

People in Tan Van commune, Binh Gia district participate in the construction of rural roads (photo taken before April 27, 2021)

Chien Thang commune, Chi Lang district is just one of many localities receiving support from businesses in the province in the process of new rural development. According to the Coordination Office for New Rural Development, from 2011 to now, the resources mobilized from businesses in the province have reached over 800 billion VND. Some typical contributors include Lang Son Production and Trading Joint Stock Company; Cua Dong Development Investment Consulting Joint Stock Company; Lang Son Traffic Construction Consultant Joint Stock Company…

The mobilization of businesses receives great attention from the People’s Committees of the province and districts. For example, in 2019, the Provincial People’s Committee launched a peak emulation campaign to celebrate the 110th birthday of comrade Hoang Van Thu and to support the construction rural roads in new rural development. After less than a month of launching, businesses have donated over 14 billion VND. Every year, the People’s Committees of the districts also launch and call for the support of businesses to join hands in the new rural development and also receive enthusiastic responses in many forms.

Mr. Hoang Dang Dung, Deputy Chief of the Coordination Office for New Rural Development, said: “Although the number of businesses in the province is not considerable, their scale is not really large, but the support of businesses for the new rural development in the province is not modest and in many forms such as cash, machinery, social welfare works, housing, design of construction items, etc. which creates exciting competitive atmosphere, stimulating the spirit of new rural development of the local people to achieve the goals.”

Along with the visual and material contributions, businesses also make great contributions to production activities such as transferring scientific and technical advances to farmers; supporting the implementation of effective production and livestock models; consuming products; actively building and developing value chains, effectively exploiting and enhancing added value for agricultural products; promoting the formation of concentrated commodity production areas… Thereby, it has been making a great contribution to changing production structure and agricultural development thinking in many rural areas.

Mr. Ha Viet Quy, Director of Duc Quy Import-Export Investment and Production Co., Ltd. said: “Currently, the company is providing product consumption linkages for over 300 households in most of the communes growing black jelly of Trang Dinh district. We have actively coordinated with specialized agencies in the district to guide people to take care of black jelly in the right way. Thereby, this way increases the value of black jelly products, expands export markets to China, Korea and some European countries. Along with that, each year the company also contributes from 10 to 30 million VND to the programs of new rural development, building houses of gratitude, hunger eradication and poverty alleviation, etc. of the district, with the hope that people’s lives in rural areas will improve day by day.”

Additionally, every year, the provincial business community regularly conducts charity activities, helping the poor and disabled; banks have also actively implemented many programs and policies for people to borrow loans at preferential interest rates for economic development, hunger eradication and poverty reduction. Since then, they help create a fundamental change in the income, improving the living standards of people in rural areas. Up to now, the average income in rural areas has reached nearly 27 million VND/person/year, up nearly 3 times compared to 2011; the poverty rate in the whole province has decreased from 25.95% in 2015 (according to the multidimensional poverty standards in the 2016-2020 period) to 7.89% in 2020…

From the joint efforts of the business community, the program of new rural development in the province was implemented systematically, achieving great results, changing the appearance of the countryside. Up to now, the whole province has 78/181 communes that have met the standards of new rural areas, accounting for 43.09% of the total population.