Ninh Thuan on the Path of New Countryside Construction

Implementing the new countryside construction programme, Ninh Thuan province has chosen three pilot communes at the provincial level and eight pilot communes at the district level to carry out the programme, and then draw experience and apply on a broad scale. These communes have created a competing atmosphere of building and achieving the criteria of new countryside. In 2012, construction, agriculture and rural development sectors and localities endeavoured to complete master plans for 45 out of 47 communes to lay the foundation for new countryside construction in these communes.

 

The province has also carried out many infrastructure development projects and rural development projects like irrigation works (Song Bieu, Lanh Ra, Cho Mo, Tra Co, Phuoc Trung, Tan My, etc.), embankments (Bac Song Dinh, Dong Hai, Dam Vua, etc.), and resettlement areas (Son Hai, Ma Nai, Tan My, Song Sat, etc). These facilities have helped many rural areas expand farming area and change to new crops and livestock.

Together with developing roads to link rural areas and irrigation works to increase watering capacity, Ninh Thuan province also brings electricity to all communes and 95 per cent of households. The new countryside appearance is brightened by the formation of rural water supply networks. To date, up to 82 per cent of the rural population in the province have access to clean water. In general, after many years of infrastructure construction investment, agriculture and rural economy in Ninh Thuan province have changed greatly in many aspects, reflected by the continuously improved incomes of farmers.

 

In addition, the province has deployed scientific and technological transfer projects financed by the government’s ODA sources. Typical projects included an agricultural science and technology project, agricultural competition project, agriculture, farmer and countryside project (IFAID), and quality and safety enhancement of agricultural products and biogas development project (QSEAP). Especially, new production models have produced initial effects and have been expanded to enhance the productivity of crops and livestock in agriculture.

 

Indeed, the new countryside construction movement has spread throughout the province. Local people trust and actively take part in the movement. Many give up land to the movement.

 

For the long term, Ninh Thuan province has approved the new countryside construction project till 2020 divided into two phases, 2011 - 2015 and 2016 - 2020. Accordingly, the province expects to have 11 communes meeting new countryside standards by 2015 and 24 standardised communes by 2020. The Coordinating Office for New Countryside Construction Programme established technical and economic reports on infrastructure construction in pilot communes and deployed the model of cultivating pure strains of wet rice, culturing red tilapia, producing hybrid maize, growing purple onion, and raising reproductive cows in pilot communes in the 2011-2015 period. As regards personnel training for the programme, construction, agriculture and rural development sectors have organised training on planning, investment management and project establishment for more than 450 district and commune officials; and sent 30 commune and district officials to a training course on commune-level new countryside project construction in Agricultural Personnel Training School 2 (Ho Chi Minh City). Mr Nguyen Duc Thu, Director of Ninh Thuan Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province will further inform and help the people understand and voluntarily join new countryside construction, thus building consensus and determination of the people in the new countryside construction movement in every locality.