Five years have passed, but Mr. Siu Kim, in Chu Ko village, still remembers clearly the first days when the Border Guard came to his house to propagate and mobilize the implementation of the wet rice model. At that time, Mr. Siu Kim and the villagers all thought that for generations, the Gia Rai people had only been used to growing upland rice, growing wet rice was not only unfamiliar, but also hard and not sure of having food. Moreover, the land had been left fallow for many years, the terrain was steep, and there was a lack of machinery and means, so when they heard the Border Guard say they would guide and work with the villagers to grow wet rice to achieve high productivity, everyone discussed it.

“After many village meetings and the persistent propaganda and mobilization of the Border Guard, some villagers agreed to grow wet rice. Officers and soldiers of Ia Puch Border Guard Station worked with villagers to reclaim land and bring water from the stream to the fields. They also guided villagers in choosing seeds, seed soaking techniques, tilling the soil, weeding, pest control, harvesting and transporting rice home,” Mr. Siu Kim recalled.

Officers and soldiers of Ia Puch Border Guard Station and local people work on the land to grow wet rice.
Ia Puch Border Guard Station officers guide people in growing wet rice.

Mr. Ro Mah Thiet, in Chu Ko village, said: “When the wet rice model was first implemented, there were only 3 households participating with 0.6 hectares, then there were 18 households with an area of ​​nearly 8 hectares. The yield of each crop reached 5-6 tons/ha, 5 times higher than upland rice. In particular, wet rice can be grown twice a year, every household that grows wet rice has rice to eat all year round, no longer worrying about hunger, people with full stomachs are excited and trust, love the Border Guard very much. From the wet rice model, people in Chu Ko village heard that the Border Guard changed their thinking, working methods, developed many effective production and livestock models to increase income, life and actively participate in activities to protect and build a prosperous border area”.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Phan Cong Thang, Political Commissar of Ia Puch Border Guard Station, after the wet rice model was successfully deployed in Chu Ko village, Ia Puch Border Guard Station coordinated with the People's Committee of Ia Puch commune and called on businesses to join in, bringing in machinery to level the ground, expanding the area, helping many ethnic minority households grow wet rice. Up to now, Chu Ko and the villages and hamlets of Ia Puch commune no longer have abandoned land, instead there are two-crop wet rice fields with bumper crops. When people have a prosperous life, they will feel secure in sticking to their land, their villages, their border areas, joining hands with the Border Guard to build a people's border defense, associated with a strong people's border defense posture, firmly protecting the sovereignty and security of the national border. This is protecting the border from the hearts of the people, demonstrating the nature and fine tradition of the Border Guard that always considers the station as home, the border as homeland, and ethnic minorities as blood brothers.

Article and photos: NGUYEN ANH SON

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/nuoi-duong-van-hoa-bo-doi-cu-ho/bao-ve-bien-cuong-tu-long-dan-844315