Shrimp-rice farming fields in Thới Bình District’s Trí Lực Commune. Cà Mau has developed various effective farming models, including shrimp-rice farming, to build new-style rural areas.. — VNA/VNS Photo Huỳnh Anh

CÀ MAU — The southernmost province of Cà Mau plans to have an additional four new-style rural communes by the end of this year, taking the number of new-style rural communes to 58, or 70 per cent of its total communes.

It plans to have at least one district which will have all its communes recognised as new-style rural communes by the end of this year.    

It also aims to have four additional advanced new-style rural communes by the end of this year.   

Under the country’s programme of building new-style rural areas, a commune has to meet the programme’s 19 criteria related to planning, infrastructure, transport, irrigation, power supply, environment, income, education, healthcare, social security, culture, and others to be recognised as a new-style rural commune.

An advanced new-style rural commune must achieve higher standards across all 19 criteria than the standards set for a new-style rural commune.  

The province had 54 new-style rural commune areas and three advanced new-style rural communes as of the end of last year.

It has effectively implemented the programme and encouraged the public to actively participate in it as local people have donated their land and working days to build infrastructure for developing new-style rural areas.

In Thới Bình District, many people have donated money and land for building schools, roads, bridges and health clinics.

Phạm Văn Giang, a local in Hồ Thị Kỷ Commune, for instance, has donated 5,000 sq.m of land to build the Tân Lợi Primary School.

Under the programme, the province has built more than 3,785 km of rural roads, helping to facilitate travel for local people.

To mobilise the resources of local people to build new-style rural areas, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Area is implementing various measures to develop agricultural production and improve the lives of rural people.

Phan Hoàng Vũ, director of the department, said the province is developing agriculture production towards smart production, efficiency, sustainability and adapting to climate change.

The province has undertaken advocacy activities to enhance the awareness of the public about the programme.

In Đầm Dơi District, the Quách Phẩm Commune Women's Union has encouraged its members to actively participate in building new-style rural areas by treating waste to protect the environment, growing flowers and trees to beautify roads, building hygienic toilets, and developing effective production models.

Lê Thị Mỹ Duyên, a union member, is nearly 60 years old and has participated in all the union’s activities such as keeping her house clean and growing trees to beautify her house.

She makes organic fertiliser from waste and grows vegetables and fruits to earn additional income, she said.

“I and other members understand the benefits of building new style rural areas and have actively done things which we are able to do,” she said.

Nguyễn Thị Hồng Thắm, chairwoman of the union, said the programme warmly receives the responses of the members.

With their hard work, houses and roads look cleaner and more beautiful, she said.

“The union will focus on helping poor members to escape poverty, aiming to have no poor members by the end of this year,” she said.

The province has developed products under the country’s “One Commune-One Product” programme to improve income and create jobs for rural people, and this boosts building new-style rural areas.

OCOP products are rated between one- to five-star status and include foods, souvenirs, furniture, agricultural products, and rural tourism.

The province has 122 three-star OCOP products and six four-star OCOP products. They are mostly shrimp chips, shrimp flakes, dried shrimp, fish sauce and fish products.

Nguyễn Hoàng Ân, chairman of the Cái Bát Processing, Trade, Services and Aquaculture Co-operative in Cái Nước District, said his co-operative had its tilapia paste recognised as a three-star OCOP product in 2020.

After the tilapia paste was rated as a three-star OCOP product, its sales and value have increased compared to before the recognition, he said.

“The market for tilapia paste has been expanded to Hà Nội, Hải Phòng and Bình Dương Province and is estimated to be expanded to some supermarkets in the coming time,” he said.  

Cái Nước District has 15 OCOP products rated at the three-star level.

Trần Hoàng Đạo, head of the district Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development, said the province’s relevant departments and agencies have created favourable conditions for producers and companies to develop OCOP products.

The district has established the Cà Mau Agriculture Services Co-operatives Union to sell the specialty products of Cái Nước, Cà Mau and other provinces, he said.

The union has nine co-operatives and sells more than 100 OCOP products, he said. — VNS