Industrialisation and Modernisation-driven New Countryside Construction

The new countryside construction movement in Dak Lak province was deployed simultaneously in its 152 communes. Mr Huynh Quoc Thich, Deputy Director of the Dak Lak Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said, after two years of implementation, all the communes in the province have completed their new countryside construction plans, and 124 communes have detailed plans for new countryside construction. The province has one commune completing all 15 criteria (Quang Tien commune, Cu M'gar district), two communes completing 13 criteria (Hoa Thuan commune, Buon Ma Thuot City and Ea Kpam commune, ​​Cu M'gar district), nine communes completing 10-12 criteria, and 80 communes completing 5-9 criteria. As of August 2013, the province had 31 communes registering to complete new countryside standards by 2015. Particularly, all communes will meet planning criteria; eight communes achieve water criteria, 15 communes fulfil electricity criteria, five communes meet education criteria, 11 communes achieve market criteria, and 22 communes meet post office criteria.

 

In the past two years, Dak Lak province has mobilised over VND15,716 billion for new countryside construction, including over VND6,000 billion funded by the State Budget and the rest financed by other sources like bank credit, corporate investments and public contributions. The province has given priority to production, especially centralised production areas where make staple commodities tied to the processing industry, and rural infrastructure construction. The province has implemented 17 production development projects and crop - livestock restructuring projects with 346 effective production models. Particularly, in response to the “Joint effort for new countryside construction" movement, many ethnic groups in Dak Lak province have voluntarily given up land, taken part in working, and raised funds of over VND450 billion to upgrade traffic routes and power grids to meet daily production and livelihood.

 

Together with mobilising public resources to build infrastructure, localities focus on developing production, raising people's incomes by adopting new techniques, new models, and new crop varieties. These activities have motivated the crop and livestock restructuring, formed specialised farming areas, raised added value for agricultural products, increased incomes, and improved people's lives.

 

Knowing that motivation campaigns will accelerate the deployment of new countryside construction programme and sustain economic development towards industrialisation and modernisation, in early 2012, Dak Lak Provincial People’s Committee launched the campaign for the 2011-2015 period, towards 2020, under the theme of “the entire people unite for new countryside construction.” Apart from carrying out the Provincial People’s Committee’s Resolution 03-NQ/TU dated April 22, 2011 on new countryside construction in the 2011-2015, with orientation towards 2020, Dak Lak province has set the target of increasing the number of new countryside communes to 20 percent in 2015 and to 50 percent in 2020. The province will also asphalt or concrete 50 percent of roads in communes which have roads capable of supporting automobiles reaching administrative centres. Irrigation systems will reach 75 percent of farming areas and 40 percent of canals will be solidified and concreted. All the villages and hamlets will have access to electricity and 99 percent of households will use electricity. The poverty rate drops 3 percent a year. All communes meet national standards. 85 percent of rural population use hygienic water. The programme also sets out requirements to build the new countryside with synchronous, modern socioeconomic infrastructure.

 

Mr Thich said at its 4^th session meeting, the Provincial People’s Council (2011-2016 term) also passed a resolution specifying support policies for socioeconomic infrastructure construction and countryside construction investment management in the 2012-2015 period. The resolution is expected to make breakthroughs in the new countryside construction programme in Dak Lak province.