In Na Tau commune, Dien Bien Phu city, Dien Bien province, there are about 103 hectares of cassava growing area, of which people grow about 53 hectares, Hong Phuoc cooperative 50 hectares. The cassava output of people alone is about 2,500 tons, from the beginning of October until now, the cassava area has been harvested about 20%.
However, the processing of cassava in the locality for many years has been mainly an illegal activity as no facility has been granted an environmental license.
According to Mr. Lo Van Toan - Chairman of Na Tau Commune People's Committee - up to now (November 14), it can be confirmed that all 7/7 facilities are operating illegally, causing pollution and significantly affecting people's lives. However, it is very difficult to catch them red-handed to handle.
"Like the case of Ms. Ngo Thi Huyen's facility - only about 300m from the commune People's Committee headquarters. When inspected, the facility stopped operating, but every day, water and waste are still discharged into the environment," said Mr. Toan.
According to the commune chairman, the current handling of these facilities is beyond the authority of the commune People's Committee. If discovered, the commune will only draw up a record requesting the suspension of the cassava starch processing to report to the Dien Bien Phu City People's Committee for handling, but there are no stronger sanctions.
Mr. Toan also said that from the beginning of the season, the commune established 3 working groups, each group consisting of 9 members, to inspect and supervise the cassava processing facilities.
Even with 24/7 shifts, management is still very difficult.
“The establishments secretly operate at midnight and early morning. When they see the presence of inspectors, they quickly turn off the circuit breaker and return to a state of inactivity. When conducting inspections, the owners of the establishments even act defiantly,” Mr. Toan added.
To solve the problem of agricultural product consumption for people when processing facilities are not licensed to operate, the People's Committee of Na Tau commune has connected with a number of enterprises to purchase cassava, ensuring the market price, in which the floor price is about 2,500 VND. However, the illegal operation of processing facilities has not been resolved.
According to the reporter's records, for many days now, the cassava processing facilities in Phieng Ban and Lan Yen villages have been operating openly. The discharge of untreated waste into the environment has caused the water of the Nam Rom River, passing through Na Tau commune, to turn black and emit a foul odor.
According to the reporter's investigation, when the processing of cassava in Na Tau commune, Dien Bien Phu city became a "hot spot", some traders and business households transported cassava to neighboring communes and districts for processing - where management is less strict.
