Photo: baokhanhhoa.com.vn

(VOVworld) – Raglai ethnic people make up 86% of the population of Ba Cum Bac, a mere farming commune in Khanh Hoa province’s Khanh Son district. The commune is focusing on improving local incomes and living conditions as a criteria of the national new rural development program. VOV’s To Tuan has the story.

Ba Cum Bac is a mountain commune with vast forests and farmland, ideal for planting fruit trees and breeding cattle and fowls. As part of the implementation of the national new rural development program, Ba Cum Bac has mobilized capital from various resources to upgrade the local infrastructure and apply new economic models under the program’s criteria. In 2013 and 2014, the commune was granted 15,000 USD by the provincial authorities to boost production by applying 16 new models of cultivation and husbandry. Mau Thai Cu is Deputy Chairman of Khanh Son district’s People’s Committee: "We face both advantages and challenges implementing the national new rural development program. The local people wholeheartedly support us by contributing their land and labour to build new roads, schools, healthcare centres, and cultural houses. However, due to limited funds and local people’s knowledge, it has been not easy to help them apply new production technologies. That’s why the district authorities are focusing on improving local human resource training."

After 4 years implementing the program, Ba Cum Bac has mobilized funds worth more than 300,000 USD to upgrade the local infrastructure and opening vocational training classes for local people to help them find jobs. The commune is also implementing other government projects on poverty reduction. Nguyen Quang Ngoc, head of the Khanh Hoa provincial Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs, said the province has specific policies to support local ethnic people: "Khanh Hoa province has designed a specific socio-economic development program until 2020 for the mountain region. Under this program, the local authorities have cooperated with local Youth Union’s and Farmers’ Associations to improve ethnic people’s knowledge and production knowhow, provide them with funding to boost their production, ensure social security, and upgrade the local infrastructure. We’ve connected them to the national grid and provide each household with clean water access. This program has contributed significantly to new rural development."  

Ba Cum Bac has completed 6 out of the program’s 19 criteria with encouraging results.