Investing in agricultural tourism model, growing Musang King durian

Mr. Nguyen Vu Phuong in Thanh Phu area, Thuong Thanh ward, Cai Rang district is building a local agricultural tourism model. Mr. Phuong said: Currently, I am growing a fruit garden model combined with a garden for tourists to visit and experience.

Accordingly, Mr. Phuong boldly invested capital to renovate 7 hectares of garden, planting 700 Taiwanese papaya trees. After 8 months, the papaya bore fruit and began to be harvested. Each week, Mr. Phuong picked about 300-400kg of fruit, selling for 4,000-8,000 VND/kg, depending on the current price.

Mr. Phuong said: "This papaya variety is easy to grow, quick to harvest, low risk, and has a stable selling price. I was given a preferential loan of 50 million VND by the Social Policy Bank to buy seedlings, fertilizers, necessary materials, and cover other expenses. From my accumulated income, I have grown 100 Musang King durian seedlings for more than 8 months. I am learning and applying the techniques of caring for durian from gardeners, hoping to achieve high productivity and profits."

In Thoi Tan commune, Thoi Lai district, Can Tho city, since 2018, the Commune Farmers' Association has established a pink guava agricultural cooperative, supplying fruit to the company. From the cooperative foundation, in 2023, the Commune Farmers' Association launched the Thoi Tan commune pink guava cooperative, with 20 members, with a cultivation area of ​​25 hectares.

To support the Thoi Tan commune's pink-fleshed guava cooperative to develop the model, the commune's Farmers' Association has introduced cooperative members to preferential loans from the Social Policy Bank; 10 members have borrowed 500 million VND from the Farmers' Support Fund (50 million VND/household) to develop pink-fleshed guava.

Mr. Nguyen Van Be, Director of the pink-fleshed guava cooperative in Thoi Tan commune, Thoi Lai district, said: "The pink-fleshed guava tree requires little investment capital and care. The Commune Farmers' Association has paid attention to and accompanied the cooperative's activities, grasped the needs of members to support loans from preferential capital sources, trained them to equip them with necessary knowledge and skills, and reminded members to comply with the technical standards of the company that guarantees the products in a long-term and sustainable manner. In the first year of planting, the fruit yield was low, but the company guaranteed the fruit, and I had income, so I was very excited."

Can Tho City Farmers' Association effectively entrusts loans from the Bank for Social Policies

In recent times, to support farmers in accessing loans easily and conveniently, the Can Tho City Social Policy Bank has coordinated with the Farmers' Association to implement the policies of the Party, State and Government on policy credit.

Each ward and commune is assigned a transaction point to carry out loan disbursement, debt collection, interest collection, savings mobilization, etc. to serve the subjects right in the locality on a fixed day of the month. The convenience in terms of loan methods, loan locations, and preferential interest rates has made social policy credit activities a support for the poor, people in difficult circumstances, and policy subjects to rise up in life.

Up to now, over 36,500 farmer members have accessed 17 credit programs from capital sources from the Can Tho City Branch of the Bank for Social Policies with a total outstanding loan balance of over VND 1,455 billion (accounting for 35.4% of outstanding loans entrusted from city associations and unions).

Among the 17 credit programs coordinated between the Farmers' Association and the Bank for Social Policies, the largest source of capital for job creation loans is nearly 558 billion VND, the clean water and environmental sanitation loan program is over 306 billion VND, the loan program for newly escaped poverty households is nearly 254 billion VND, the loan program for students in difficult circumstances is over 175 billion VND and other programs.

The leaders of the Social Policy Bank of Can Tho city assessed that the Farmers' Associations of districts have performed well the entrusted work from the Social Policy Bank with the overdue debt rate of 0.14%.

Units such as the Farmers' Association of Binh Thuy district can be considered to have no overdue debt; Cai Rang district, Thoi Lai district, Phong Dien district and Vinh Thanh district are the units with the lowest overdue debt ratio in the Farmers' Association system.

Can Tho City Branch of the Bank for Social Policies has 1,707 savings and loan groups with no overdue debt; of which, the Farmers' Association has 637 savings and loan groups with no overdue debt.

Over the past 10 years, the credit policy capital entrusted through the Farmers' Association has helped more than 109,000 poor households, near-poor households, newly escaped-poverty households and other policy beneficiaries; including farmers' association members in the city to borrow capital to develop production and business, create livelihoods, jobs and partly solve essential needs in life.

According to Ms. Tran Thi Thien Thu, Vice President of Can Tho City Farmers' Association, through the implementation of the entrustment to the Social Policy Bank, Can Tho City Farmers' Association at all levels has focused on promoting emulation movements, focusing on the movement of farmers competing in good production and business, uniting to help each other get rich and sustainably reduce poverty; focusing on coordinating with functional sectors to strengthen training, transfer of scientific and technical advances, and new technologies into production for farmers. Many Can Tho City farmers' association members have received loans to develop agricultural tourism models, effective collective economic models, and increase income.

In the coming time, the Association will continue to coordinate well with the provincial branch of the Bank for Social Policies to direct the Association at all levels to promote propaganda and dissemination of the State's preferential credit policies to farmer members; grasp the operation situation of the Savings and Loan Groups, promptly consolidate ineffective group leaders; remind the groups to properly implement the operating regulations, fully participate in monthly meetings at the commune and ward levels. Conduct thematic inspections or integrated inspections to ensure the planned rate...