On September 29, the People's Committee of Gia Lai province said that it had directed relevant departments and branches to develop appropriate treatment plans for ineffective rubber projects on forestry land.
In 2008, the People's Committee of Gia Lai province organized the conversion of 50,000 hectares of poor forests to rubber plantation projects for many enterprises, mainly Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Quang Duc Gia Lai... At that time, enterprises were granted the right to use thousands of hectares of land, stretching from rural to border areas.
Poor forests are leveled and cut down to grow rubber, but thousands of hectares of rubber are ineffective, not bringing economic benefits to the locality nor creating jobs for the people.
While land has been abandoned and wasted for many years, people in mountainous areas do not have land for production, animal husbandry, or farming; the commune government also faces difficulties in reducing the poverty rate.
Notably, some ineffective businesses still owe land rent and are subject to tax enforcement, such as D.L Gia Lai Group, which still owes about VND 15.3 billion in unpaid taxes.
In Ia Le commune, 764 hectares of rubber belonging to the poor forest conversion project of D.L Gia Lai Group are also facing land rent and late payment fees. Gia Lai province has decided to reclaim 764 hectares of land from the company to hand over to the Nam Phu Nhon Protective Forest Management Board for management.
At recent meetings with voters of the Provincial People's Council, local people were upset about the shortage of land for production, requesting the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee to reclaim project land from abandoned and unused enterprises.
People also proposed to reclaim the land area of more than 93 hectares that Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group rented from the rubber farm in Po To commune, which is currently abandoned.
The Provincial Forest Protection Department was assigned to review land funds managed by enterprises but used ineffectively to review and arrange them for the poor.
