Supporting sustainable poverty reduction in Dakrong district

Dakrong (Quang Tri) is a poor district under the Government's Program 30a with 12/13 communes and towns in particularly difficult circumstances. After 10 years of implementing Directive No. 40-CT/TW of the Central Party Secretariat on strengthening the Party's leadership over social policy credit (Directive No. 40-CT/TW), Dakrong positively changes their lives.

Officer of VBSP Dakrong District propagates policy credit to local people

Mr. Ngo Van Bao, - Director of VBSP Dakrong district emphasized that compared to 2014 (when Directive No. 40-CT/TW was not yet issued), the total outstanding loan balance of Dakrong has now reached over VND 540 billion, an increase of nearly VND 400 billion. Currently, more than 8,200 households have received preferential credit loans from the state to develop their family economy. Not only has the outstanding loan scale grown rapidly, but the quality of policy credit has also been well maintained with 180/180 Savings and Credit Groups being classified as good. This capital source has contributed to helping Dakrong achieve an average annual economic growth rate of 15%, an average income per capita of VND 30 million/year, and an average poverty rate of over 5%/year.

Previously, some Party committees, authorities, and mass organizations entrusted in Dakrong did not see the importance of social policy credit in economic development, did not know how to utilize capital to reduce poverty, build new rural areas, and ensure social security; people's awareness of this source of loan capital was limited; credit quality was uneven, inspection and supervision of the use of capital were loose and ineffective...

In the 10 years of implementing Directive No. 40-CT/TW, local Party committees, authorities, the Fatherland Front and mass organizations in Dakrong district have made strong changes. Under the direct direction of the Standing Committee, the Dakrong District People's Committee has issued many documents directing Party committees, local authorities, sectors and organizations to coordinate with VBSP Dakrong district to deploy many synchronous and practical solutions.

Up to now, policy credit activities have become one of the important tasks. In particular, in the difficult conditions of a poor mountainous district, every year the District People's Committee balances local revenue to supplement resources for the district's VBSP with a total amount of VND 2.4 billion.

Thanks to the attention of local Party committees and authorities in policy credit activities, poor households, ethnic minority households and other policy beneficiaries in the area are increasingly able to access and effectively use preferential loans from the State. Following the officer of VBSP Dakrong district, we visited Mr. Ho Van Quang’s family (in Gia Gia village, Huong Hiep commune).

8 years ago, Quang's family was a poor household. However, thanks to preferential loans from VBSP and his hard working, his family has now become a well-off production household with a stable income of VND 80 - 100 million. "My family's life has changed significantly. We have built a solid house to replace the temporary, dilapidated house before. We have also started to save money to raise 3 children to study" Mr. Quang confided.

Being a poor household, in 2016, Mr. Quang was able to borrow VND 50 million from VBSP Dakrong district to buy a breeding cow and plant 3 hectares of cajuput forest. Under the guidance of the commune's Farmers' Association officials, at first, he raised pigs, chickens, grew cassava, and in his free time, he hired other households to clear forests to earn extra income.

"My wife and I saved money to pay the interest and regularly deposited savings every month according to the operating convention of the Savings and Credit Group. After 5 years, the breeding cow gave birth to 3 more calves, the forest was about to be exploited, we sold part of the cow and forest to pay off the debt to the bank", Mr. Quang recalled. In 2022, he and his wife continued to borrow VND 50 million from the job creation loan program to expand the forest area.

Currently, his family has 5 hectares of cajuput forest. Thanks to his hard work and ability to calculate to repay the bank loan, he recently continued to receive a loan of VND 50 million from VBSP Dakrong district from the production and business program to expand cattle farming. Mr. Quang always participates in the regular savings and credit group activities. At the group meetings, he always actively shares good experiences in production, supporting people in the village to effectively use preferential loans from the state to develop the economy and get out of poverty.

Lam Thanh