Exemplary peasant party member

Mr. Nguyen Van Tai harvests rice. Photo: DANG LINH

Rise from nothing

In 1997, Tai got married and moved out. Both families were poor, so he and his wife started their business with nothing. They encouraged each other to work twice or three times harder so that their children could have a better life in the future. He did all kinds of jobs; his wife sold vegetables and fish at Van Thanh market, saving up small amounts.

The opportunity came when he joined the revolving capital contribution model without interest launched by the Farmers' Association of Hon Dat commune. Gradually accumulating, he bought land to improve it into good fields. After 28 years of starting a business, from the initial few hectares of land, Mr. Tai has 3 hectares of cultivated land. He also rented 2 more hectares of land to produce 2 rice crops. The average annual profit from his family's rice fields is nearly 400 million VND.

On the golden ripe rice field, bustling with the sound of the cooperative's combine harvester, Mr. Tai is harvesting ST24 and Dai Thom 8 rice. Explaining why he sows two different varieties, Mr. Tai said: "One area is low, one area is high, so you have to choose the variety based on the soil conditions to get the best yield."

Applying technology to production

Not only taking care of his own fields, since April 2025, Mr. Tai has been assigned by the Party Committee, local authorities and cooperative members to take on the role of Director of the Kenh 9 Agricultural Service Cooperative, with 25 members and a production area of over 108 hectares. With his acumen and decisiveness, he boldly applied drones to sow, fertilize and spray pesticides on 100% of the cooperative's area. Mr. Tai also encouraged members to apply the method of sparse sowing, reducing seeds, reducing fertilizers and pesticides, both saving costs and protecting the environment. Thanks to that, the cooperative's production costs have decreased by 20-30%, and profits have increased significantly. "As a party member, I have to be a good example. Party members do not just talk but also do so that people see the effectiveness and believe in them," said Mr. Tai.

In particular, Mr. Tai also mobilized 22 Khmer households to join the cooperative. Many households, who were used to small-scale production, changed their way of thinking and working after joining the cooperative.

In his first year leading the cooperative, Mr. Tai was trusted by the local government and cooperative members. Standing Vice Chairman of the Provincial Farmers' Association Lam Quoc Toan commented: "Mr. Nguyen Van Tai is an exemplary farmer party member, trusted by the people and the Provincial Farmers' Association. Therefore, we have proposed that the Central Government disburse 500 million VND from the Farmers' Support Fund so that the Kenh 9 Agricultural Service Cooperative can expand production and improve the quality of rice grains to meet export needs."

Cooperative members are supported with capital, land preparation and sowing are carried out simultaneously to avoid pests. The cooperative sells rice in large quantities, so traders buy it at a price 200 - 300 VND/kg higher than the market price. Mr. Tai's biggest concern is how to make his hometown rice reach far and increase people's income. Mr. Tai said: "In the coming time, the cooperative's management board will strengthen connections with businesses to build a closed chain from supplying seeds, fertilizers, pesticides to consuming commercial rice. Only with a stable output will people feel secure in sticking with the cooperative for a long time."

DANG LINH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/dang-vien-nong-dan-guong-mau-a461679.html