Bu Gia Map taps advantages to create breakthroughs

Bu Gia Map Commune (Dong Nai Province) shares a 45km border with the Kingdom of Cambodia. It is home to four border guard posts, serving as a key force in managing and safeguarding national sovereignty and border security. However, the commune remains one of the most disadvantaged localities in Dong Nai Province. Ethnic minorities make up 75% of the population; 7.15% of households are classified as poor. Civil infrastructure remains inadequate and underdeveloped, and the commune has yet to meet 7 out of 19 criteria for the new-style rural development program.

Officials from the Farmers' Association of Bu Gia Map commune visited the model of Pest and Disease Treatment on cashew trees. Photo: Vu Thuyen

Recognizing the intertwined difficulties, challenges, and potentials, the Party Committee of Bu Gia Map Commune has resolved to concentrate resources on infrastructure development and improving residents’ incomes, leveraging all available strengths and advantages to drive a breakthrough and achieve sustainable development.

Focus on increasing cashew productivity

Instead of having to clear aging cashew orchards to plant new high-yield, high-quality varieties, the 4 hectares of cashew trees over 30 years old owned by Nong Thanh Thao’s family in Dak Con village, Bu Gia Map Commune, remain lush and continue to produce high yields.

Thao shared that, like humans, older plants are more susceptible to pests and diseases as they age. To ensure healthy growth and development, it is necessary to regularly inspect the cashew trees to identify any issues and “find a specific cure.” In addition to guidance and support from agricultural extension officers and experts, Thao has, over time, applied traditional folk techniques to treat pests and diseases. He also pays close attention to branch training and canopy pruning to keep the orchard well-ventilated and promote healthy growth. Notably, at the beginning of the crop season, he burns smoke in iron drums positioned downwind, serving as an approach that offers the dual benefit of repelling insects and drying frost. Though simple in appearance, this method has proven highly effective, with his family’s cashew yield consistently reaching 2 to 2.5 tons per hectare each year.

“People often say: first water, second fertilizer, third diligence, and fourth variety. But in Bu Gia Map specifically, and the Southeast region more broadly, it’s the opposite: first variety, second diligence, third fertilizer, and fourth water. That means, beyond the variety, the most important factor is the human element. You have to be diligent in checking the orchard and taking good care of it, and only then will the trees 'not let you down'. Thanks to hard work and persistence, my family has ‘lived well’ for the past 30 years from just 4 hectares of cashew,” Thao shared.

Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Bu Gia Map Commune and Chairman of the Farmers' Association of Bu Gia Map Commune, Dieu Thuan, said cashew cultivation is heavily dependent on weather conditions. In recent years, increasingly erratic weather patterns have led to repeated crop failures. To address this issue, in addition to implementing comprehensive solutions, the commune’s Farmers' Association will expand successful models and effective practices, including the traditional pest control method used by Thao's family.

More than 90% of households in Bu Gia Map Commune rely on agriculture, cultivating nearly 4,000 hectares of various crops, with cashew accounting for almost 2,400 hectares, or 60%. Cashew has long been regarded as a poverty-reducing crop in the region. However, in recent years, it has been severely impacted by climate change, with unseasonal rains and repeated infestations of stink bugs leading to successive crop failures. Yields have dropped to just 7–8 quintals per hectare, pushing many farmers into hardship. This challenge is one of the key reasons why improving local incomes remains difficult. Currently, the average per capita income is approximately 28.5 million VND per year. Raising incomes in this remote commune remains a pressing challenge and a concern for local authorities and Party committees.

“75% of the population is ethnic minorities, so the application of science and technology in production is still limited, with farming practices being mostly spontaneous. Therefore, in addition to promoting propaganda and mobilizing people to apply science and technology in clean and sustainable production, in the immediate future, the Party Committee and the government will direct the Commune Agricultural Service Center to directly instruct on spraying pesticides and eliminating pests on cashew trees, creating a high-yield next crop”, Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of Bu Gia Map Commune, Le Hoang Nam, shared.

Turn potential into a development-driving force

In addition to the income criterion, Bu Gia Map Commune has yet to meet 6 out of 19 new-style rural development criteria, many of which require substantial funding, such as transportation, schools, and cultural infrastructure.

According to Le Hoang Nam, Party Secretary of the commune, to fulfill the remaining targets, the commune will categorize and identify key criteria for prioritized investment. Among these, financial support from higher-level authorities is considered a decisive factor in determining the effectiveness of implementation.

Bu Gia Map Commune strives by 2030: Total product value in the area increases by an average of 7.8%/year; average income per capita reaches 57.85 million VND/year compared to 2025, an increase of 103%; the rate of poor households according to the national poverty standard decreases to below 5%; economic structure by 2030: agriculture - forestry and fishery reaches 80%, trade, services 15% and small-scale industry 5%; complete the National Target Programme on building new-style rural areas by 2029...

Notably, planning remains a significant obstacle that requires urgent attention. The entire commune has 3,479 hectares of cultivated land, but most of it lies within forestry land and forest areas that have not yet been transferred to local management. As a result, civil construction projects and the issuance of land use right certificates to residents face planning-related bottlenecks, creating significant difficulties in the implementation process.

Le Hoang Nam stated that, despite numerous challenges, the Party Congress of the commune for the 2025–2030 term has set a goal to bring the commune up to new-style rural standards by the 2029–2030 period. To achieve this, the Congress has proposed three breakthrough programs.

The first focuses on leveraging land resources, especially the green space of Bu Gia Map National Park, to boost economic development in tandem with eco-tourism, thereby creating jobs, increasing income, and promoting the cultural identity and heritage of ethnic communities in the area.

The second aims to develop the agricultural economy in alignment with new-style rural development efforts, with an emphasis on clean and organic farming, the application of science and technology, and digital transformation in production.

The third involves restructuring crop and livestock production to suit local conditions.

Bu Gia Map holds significant potential, with its lush forest landscapes ideal for eco-tourism development. It is also home to a wealth of unique cultural traditions of ethnic minorities, such as rice wine, brocade weaving, and gong performances. These are golden opportunities for sustainable tourism growth and for creating distinctive tourism products that reflect the commune's unique identity, thereby contributing to local economic development.

"To transform potential into a driving force for development, the Party Committee of the commune has formulated an action plan, with the top priority being the thorough implementation of the Resolution of the Commune Party Congress among all cadres, Party members, and residents. In addition, the commune's leadership and People's Committee have translated key programs into concrete plans to ensure effective execution," emphasized Party Secretary and Chairman of the People's Council of Bu Gia Map commune Le Hoang Nam.

By Vu Thuyen – Translated by Quoc Dung, Minho