(VOV) – La Bang commune is one of seven pilot villages across the northern mountainous province of Thai Nguyen to have implemented the new rural development program. Cooperative economic development and improving the quality of specialty teas are key to La Bang’s future plans. To date, it has completed 12 of the 19 criteria on new rural areas. VOV’s Ngoc Thach reports changes there….

La Bang is a mountainous commune, where the local community mainly grow tea. Since it has been selected to pilot the new rural development program La Bang has identified economic development and improving people’s living standards as key to boosting other criteria. Using these guidelines, tea cooperatives have been set up and the members trained to produce safe quality teas including some new varieties whilst looking for more outlets. As a result, the cost of local tender tea leaves has risen three and a half times and the income of tea growers has tripled or even quadrupled to more than 19,000 USD per year per hectare. Dang Thi Huyen is a villager from La Bang:‘We have been trained in methods to grow and take care of tea bushes that ensure a high level of productivity. We have already built bigger houses and our families now have TVs, refrigerators, and air-conditioners. We now feel secure enough to be able to pay for my children’s studies and the villagers here have escaped from a life of poverty.’

In La Bang, 10 craft villages have been set up to produce traditional tea products. 70% of the 3,800 people in the commune are involved in tea production with the average per capita annual income reaching almost 1,000 USD. Nguyen Thi Hai heads the La Bang tea cooperative:'Many local workers have returned to invest in tea cultivation and production after they left home to do business elsewhere. Households who invest in growing specialty teas often make higher earnings. If other farmers receive this kind of support, the model will prove more effective.’

Thai Nguyen tea (Photo:Internet)

The improved incomes and living conditions have helped La Bang to speed up the completion of other criteria required in the new rural development program. After two years, the commune has finalized 12 of the 19 areas, according to the Party Committee’s Secretary, Nguyen Xuan Nang: 'The new rural development program has helped increase the local peoples incomes and subsequently, it has been well responded to. Many villagers have donated their land to construct public transport projects or have contributed money to buy land to build cultural houses. Several social organizations are also now committed to carrying out more environment sanitation programs.

Nguyen Thi Nguyen, the Vice President of Dai Tu People’s Committee, says that the initial success of La Bang can be attributed to choosing the right kind of development: 'To make any new rural development program a success, the local authorities and communities need to reach a consensus, whereby leaders at all levels should be informed of the issues first, and then they explain it to others. After information campaigns have been completed, the local people should realize that the new rural development program is useful and will increase their incomes. Every commune, village, and villager should take part in the program for their mutual benefit.'

Ngoc Thach