In response to “National target programme on building a new countryside” by the Prime Minister, the movement “The whole country join hands to build a new countryside” by the Governor of State Bank of Vietnam (SBV); under the instruction of the Provincial Party Committee and the People’s Committee, in recent time, Agribank An Giang has actively mobilised capital to grant loans to the programme and has achieved encouraging success.
Starting to build the new countryside in 2011 with a low starting point, An Giang province had only two communes which met 10 criteria, 36 fulfilled 6-9, and 81 satisfied 5 or less. For over six years, the province has obtained a lot of practical results in terms of agriculture, farmers and countryside; economic infrastructure has been paid proper attention to; the material and spiritual life of the people has been considerably improved. Up to now, there are no communes satisfying less than 5 criteria; 13 out of 119 communes have obtained a new countryside status. Income per capita in rural area which was only VND16.6 million in 2011 has currently increased to VND27.56 million; the rate of poor households has decreased from 10.5 per cent to 2.8 per cent.
The success of An Giang in new countryside construction is much credited to the active contribution of credit system throughout the province with Agribank An Giang as a pioneer. Mr Nguyen Thanh Hai, Deputy Director of Agribank An Giang, said besides defining the full and timely preparations for capital supply which as the important factor of the programme’s success, the Provincial Party Committee and the Agribank An Giang’s Board of Directors had agreed and implemented measures, built specific plans in credit investment throughout the province in order to enhance their leading role in agricultural and rural investment. Loan for new countryside construction had been given priority; people had been facilitated to access the capital in a safe and effective way. During its operation, Agribank An Giang has always enlisted the support of the Provincial Party Committee and People’s Committee, maintained close collaboration with social and political organisations in the province. In 2012, it signed an inter-sectoral agreement with the province’s Farmers Association to meet the need of production development; restore some local traditional villages; mechanise rural and agricultural sector, etc.
Agribank An Giang has now become the largest credit institution in terms of loans for new countryside construction programme in the province with many lending programmes meeting the people’s demand of capital for production such as: granting loans under Decree 41/2010/ND-CP dated April 12, 2010 on policy on rural and agricultural credit (currently known as Decree 55/2015/ND-CP dated June 9, 2015), Decision 68/2013/QD-TTg on supporting policy on agricultural loss mitigation, Decision 62/2013/QD-TTg on policy on developing collectives, linking production associated with consuming agricultural products, making large fields; loans for good farmers, loans for linkage in the catfish supply chain, loans for soya bean and vegetable producers, and loans granted under new countryside programme, etc.
According to the report by Agribank An Giang, during the period from the implementation of “National target programme on building a new countryside” to the end of 2016, the bank had invested in credit with the proportion of 14/19 criteria and 61 selected communes. By the end of 2016, total loans had reached VND3,814 billion, room for debt was VND3,513 billion, 16,705 customers (of which 49 were enterprises and 16,656 were individuals). In terms of loans, the debt room of short-term loans by the end of 2016 was VND1,879 billion (accounting for 53.5 per cent of the total room for debt), medium and long term loans was VND1,634 billion (of which VND2,922 billion was from loans for production, accounting for 83.2 per cent of total loans for building a new countryside, with 12,760 customers), the debt room for loans for housing was VND196 billion, accounting for 5.6 per cent total debt room with 1,169 individual customers, debt room for other loans was VND395 billion, accounting for 11.2 per cent of total with 2,776 individual customers.
To ensure that rural people can avoid risks in business and daily life, besides providing timely capital, Agribank An Giang has advised and provided clients with insurance products of the bank. In 2014, the branch won the third prize "exceeding the target of service fee revenue" and in 2015, won the prize "Promotion of Service Charge" in the program "ABIC joins hand with Agribank to build new countryside".
Together with the efforts to build new countryside, Agribank An Giang has been actively taking the lead in social welfare activities, for the well-being of the community. From 2006 to the end of 2016, the branch spent VND13,338 million on volunteer activities in the province to support and assist disadvantaged individuals; building charity houses, kindergartens, rural bridges, clinics, fund for talent, etc.
According to Mr Hai, policy on credit for rural and agricultural development is considered a lever for socio-economic growth in the province, which creates opportunities for local people to have a better life. In the future, Agribank An Giang will continue to respond to the movement "The whole country joins hand to build new countryside" in the second phase (2016 - 2020). Accordingly, the branch will strive to fulfill its assigned objectives and business plan; focus on mobilising loans for social development, investment in agricultural and rural development; participate in social welfare activities; together with banking to strongly support the cause of industrialisation and modernisation of agriculture and rural areas, contributing to the successful implementation of the National target programme on building a new countryside in An Giang.
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