Quang Binh is allocated more than 235 billion VND
Quang Binh province is allocated 80% of the budget from the source of emission reduction payment agreement for natural forests (carbon credits) with over 235 billion VND.
In the 2023-2024 period, the locality has allocated more than 182 billion VND to beneficiaries, including: Special-use and protective forest management boards, forestry companies, households, individuals, communities and forest owners who are other organizations assigned to manage natural forests to carry out protection activities...
According to the 2023 financial plan, Quang Binh province will pay more than VND 80 billion to beneficiaries, including: 10,762 forest owners who are households, individuals, and communities; 16 forest owners who are organizations; 71 commune-level People's Committees assigned by the state to manage forests and 9 forest owners who are other organizations assigned to manage forests.
To date, the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund has paid funds from ERPA to beneficiaries with an amount of more than 162 billion VND.
Payment of this amount to forest owners, including households, individuals, communities and commune-level People's Committees, is quite convenient in receiving carbon credit payments .
As for forest owners who are organizations such as protective forest management boards and forestry companies, they are still "stuck" because of the regulations on subjects participating in forest management agreements with forest owners who are communities of residents in Decree 107. At the same time, the regulation "expenditures do not overlap with other expenditures of the State budget" means that even though the money has arrived, it cannot be disbursed.
Recommendations to the Ministry
Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quang Binh province, Tran Quoc Tuan, said that the province has made recommendations to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to remove the regulations causing this problem.
Mr. Tuan pointed out that the payment plan for selling carbon credits is new and being piloted, so in the implementation process, there are some difficulties that are being encountered in Decree No. 107 of the Government.
Point c, Clause 2, Article 3 stipulates the principle of "expenditure not overlapping with other expenditures of the State budget".
However, currently, most of the natural forest area in Quang Binh province has been allocated funding from the State budget according to current policies through programs and projects. If implemented according to the above regulations, there will be very little area to implement forest protection contracting.
“Or in Clause 2, Article 5, it is stipulated that the subjects participating in forest management agreements with forest owners are communities, while in reality in Quang Binh province, the natural forest area is mainly in remote areas, along the Vietnam - Laos border, where there are very few or no communities living.
Therefore, forest owners as organizations cannot implement forest protection contracts for residential communities" - Mr. Tuan pointed out two difficulties in the implementation process.
According to Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Quoc Tuan, regarding difficulties and problems in payment from the ERPA source, the Department has advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue a document requesting the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, and at the same time, directed the Provincial Forest Protection and Development Fund to synthesize and report to the Vietnam Forest Protection and Development Fund and the WB's mid-term ERPA assessment delegation to find solutions to remove, adjust or serve as a basis for issuing new policies suitable to reality at the end of the pilot phase.
