Policy credit has been the catalyst for poverty reduction in Gia Lai

Rmah H'Be Net, Chairwoman of Chu Se People’s Committee and head of the committee representing VBSP Chu Se's Management Board, said, "Capital has reached most people in the ethnic minority groups living in the vast plateau area encompassing 15 communes and townships, becoming the mainstay of poverty reduction cause there."

VBSP staff visiting cultivation models that use bank capital in Chu Se district

"This outcome has leveraged commitment from the local management to treat sustainable poverty reduction as a crucial and long-term task, from there creating improvements that help VBSP units at a grassroots level to unify financial sources and boost efficiency," said Nguyen Dinh Ly, director of VBSP Chu Se.

In the decade since implementing Directive 40-CT/TQ on strengthening social policy credit activities, the people’s councils and committees of Chu Se district and relevant communes have prioritised transferring authorised budget capital to VBSP’s Chu Se branch, which reported nearly $20 million in total policy capital sources as of June 30, reflecting an increase of $1.4 million compared to the outset of 2024.

VBSP Chu Se has received a lot of support from across the political system and has coordinated closely with the relevant management agencies and organisations to receive funding from diverse sources over the past decade. The bank has also been proactive in reforming processes and procedures to be able to satisfy the capital demands of local businesses and households, and other recipients of policy credit.

The associated network now encompasses 260 savings and lending groups and 15 transaction points of VBSP Chu Se.

The director and staff members of VBSP Chu Se have visited each commune and hamlet in the district, meeting needy households and the families of ethnic minorities groups to give advice, helping local people to use their loans efficiently.

In Ia Blang commune, all the hamlets there have reached new standards of living and are in the process of seeing further advancements. All households in need can now access preferential loans with convenience.

Policy credit sources have brought a facelift to Chu Se’s vast plateau area, where hundreds of local family households have won awards related to excellence at district and provincial levels.

One such farmer, Ro Mah Bre from Nha village, revealed that despite having a lot of land and working diligently in the past, his family could only count on a meagre income, sometimes even facing hunger.

"I started borrowing from VBSP in 2018. With advice from the bank on planting pepper and coffee, after three years I had reaped the first harvest, collecting 1.5 tonnes of pepper to sell at more than $4 per kg, from there being able to repay part of the debt. The second harvest helped me to pay off the debt entirely and begin to take profit," he said.

"My family now owns 1,000 pepper plants, together with 700 coffee trees and vast wet rice fields," he said.

Village patriarch Puh Lach, from Ia Blang commune, said, "Poverty has been reduced thanks to support from the government, as well as the efficient capital support from VBSP."

Policy capital sources from VBSP Chu Se has promoted an aspiration to escape poverty and thrive from the people of ethnic minority groups. Poverty is also being reduced across the Central Highlands through policy capital schemes.

Net said, "The majority of ethnic minorities in the area today have gradually escaped poverty and are striving to become rich. Many Gia Rai and Ba Na ethnic households, including those from elsewhere who came to Chu Se to build a new life, have become wealthy thanks to using VBSP preferential capital to cultivate cash crops."

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