BAC BINH DISTRICT BRACING

TO DEVELOP SOCIO-ECONOMY

Bac Binh, the land of historical and cultural traditions, has gone though a history of 300 years. After years of construction and struggle, the local people have bequeathed precious spiritual heritages.

Bac Binh is home to 16 ethnic minorities, all of which have their own languages and cultures. lt also has 17 communes, five of which are entitled as “heroic communes".

The district has recorded positive socioeconomic growth in 2003. lt has realized 7 out of 11 socioeconomic tar- gets set for the year. Agricultural production has made great achievements. lt has focused on cultivating high-productivity animals and plants. The cattle farms have been expanded.

The district has spent VNĐ20 billion (1.3 million) in building infrastructure in the year, including irrigation works, roads and bridges, and schools. The National Program No.135 has helped people in the district's remote and mountainous areas to improve their living standards. Bac Binh has paid attention to its cultural, healthcare, education, population and other social issues. The rate of poor households in the district has been reduced remarkably.

Bac Binh district's agricultural sector has this year made great efforts in fighting against drought. lt has planted 39,349 hectares of rice and maize, up 3,069 hectares against 2002. The district's total food output has reached 68,877 tons, including 57,829 tons of rice, 11,048 tons of corn.

The district has turned unproductive rice fields into fishing ponds. lt has also turned 400 hectares of unproductive cassava fields into grass fields to expand cattle raising. Bac Binh now has 1,909 buffaloes, 3,240 cows, 40,000 pigs, and 600,000 heads of poultry.

The district has built the Xuan Quang Water Pumping Station and a canal system to bring water from Ca Giay Lake to supply water to Bac Binh and Tuy Phong districts during dry season.

The district has approved a project on raising prawns on an area of 14 hectares in Phan Ri Thanh commune, 24 hectares in Hoa Thang commune, and building 27 shrimp hatcheries or 3.24 hectares in Hoa Thang commune The district's seafood output ha reached 600 tons this year, including 250 tons of shrimps and 350 tons of fish (including 20 tons of fish exploit' ed from Ca Giay Lake).

Regarding land management activities, the district has granted land use right certificates for 2,757 hectares of land, exceeding the targets set for the whole of this year by 1%. lt has also approved the detailed land management plans of Luong Son and Hong Thai communes by 20ìo. lt is compiling land management schemes for Phar Hoa, Phan Dien, Phan Tíen, Hoa Thang, and Hong Phong communes.

The district has helped 98 house' holds to resettle. lt has built 15 km of rural roads, four classrooms, a health' care center, and ís building an electricity system and a water supply system.

Bac Binh district's industrial sector has focused on processing farm produce, and the production of bricks, fish-sauce, ice and bread. The district has completed the compilation of feasibility studies for the establishment of three industrial villages on total area of 141 hectares. lt has coordinated with the Department of industry to determine the boundaries of the titanium mine of the Binh Thuan Building Material & Minerals Company, in accordance with the license of the Binh Thuan province People's Committee.

The district has set up a plan to develop traditional handicraft villages including the Phan Thanh Brocade Weaving Village, Cha Lau Girdle Cake Village, Phan Hiep Pottery Village.

The district now has 40 trucks and 36 passenger cars, meeting its demand for goods and passenger transportation. lt has this year transported 48,000 tons of goods and 246,500 passengers, reaching 80% and 85% of the targets set for the year, respectively. It has upgraded 10.725 km of rural roads and 9.572 km of urban roads, meeting 67.13% of the yearly target.

Bac Binh as actively invested in building infrastructure, including the offices of Hong Phong and Phan Hoa communes’ people's committees, and Hong Phong kindergarten. lt has spent over VND20 billion to build infrastructure for mountainous and remote communes, raising local people's living standards.

Bac Binh district's People’s Committee has set up a working group to change the mechanism of its electricity management board. lt has transferred the power networks of Hoa Thang, and Phan Hoa districts to the management of the board. lt has installed 2.58 km of medium-voltage power transmission lines for new residential areas. It has completed the installation of a 12.7-kV and 22-kV transmission lines and many transformer stations in Thai An, Ngoc Son Hong Thai and Song Luy communes. The district's electricity management board has replaced 1,958 old electricity meters and installed 806 new ones.

One of the greatest successes of Bac Binh district is that it has completed a socio-economic development plan for the 2001-10 period, which has beer approved by the provincial People’s Committee.

It has also granted business licenses to 66 local businesses, raising the total number of licensed businesses in the district to 766.

Bac Binh district targets total budget revenues of VND13 billion this year, 28.8% higher than the targets assigned by the provincial People's Committee. Revenues from taxes on and usage and land transfers have exceeded the yearly targets. The district has also sufficiently provided credits to local people to expand their productions.

The district has made great achievements in its cultural activities.

The economic and cultural achievements of Bac Binh district art credited to the support of the province authorities of the agencies at all levels and of the local people.

ln spite of all the achievements Bac Binh district is still facing a great deal of difficulties. The economy is growing, but at an unsteady rate, and the restructure of agricultural production is taking place at a slow pace. The market for the district's farm produce is not stable. Financial activities in remote and mountainous areas are no developed, and the rate of bad debts is high. Forest destruction is happening widely.

The shortcomings sited above are derived from the low starting point of the district. lts potentials have not beer tapped fully. Some of the management staff are incapable.

The People's Committee of Bac  Binh district has worked out socio-economic targets for 2004 as follow:

1. Economic structure:

* Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries: 73.89%

* Industry, Construction: 13.09%

* Trade, Services 13.02%

2. Main targets:

* Total food output: 64,000 tons

* Budget revenues: VNĐ 15.5 billion

* Granting land use right certificates for 30,124 hectares of land (including 28,574 hectares forest land)

* Planting 10,000 hectares of forests

* Assigning 12,000 hectares of forests to local people for protection

* Creating 2,700 new jobs

* Reducing the birth rate by 0.1%

* Reducing the rate of malnutrition rate in children by 4-5%

* Raising the rate of school-age children attending schools to 98%

* Raising the rate of population having access to safe water to 75%

* Reducing the number of poor households to 1,000

* Applying compulsory secondary education in three communes and towns

* Sending 90 people to serve in the army

Bac Binh district is bracing to achieve the targets sited above in order to realize the socio-economic targets it has set for the period between 2001 and 2005./.

DAO GIANG