Afforestation on illegally occupied land
The current difficulty of Gia Lai province is that the land fund is mostly still under the management of rubber enterprises under the Vietnam Rubber Industry Group.
At the end of 2024, the Provincial People's Council, term XII, 2021-2026, assessed that the resettlement projects in Gia Lai helped people in mountainous areas and ethnic minorities in disaster and landslide areas stabilize their lives. People were supported by the State to build spacious and solid houses, however, they still lacked land for production.
It is worth mentioning that people have the habit of migrating and illegally encroaching on forest land to grow crops and short-term agricultural crops. Lacking land, people's jobs become precarious, especially during the lean season, some localities have distributed rice to relieve hunger.
To create livelihoods for people, especially households living near mountainous areas, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Gia Lai province has made efforts to declare illegally encroached forest areas and reclaim land for reforestation.
Mr. Nguyen Van Hoan - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Gia Lai province - said: "The unit has coordinated to mobilize thousands of households, mainly ethnic minorities, to declare more than 37,187 hectares. Of which, more than 11,000 hectares of forest land has been encroached. From the encroached forest land area, the Forest Management Boards, Forestry Companies, and District People's Committees located in the province have supported people to plant nearly 40,000 hectares of forests".
However, Gia Lai province strives that by the end of 2025, the agricultural sector will complete the declaration and statistics of the entire land area where people encroached and produced agriculture on forestry-planned land.
Collecting inefficient businesses to give to the people
In addition to the land of State-owned Forestry Farms, the Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee previously signed a decision to lease long-term land to a number of corporations and enterprises located in the area. The province converted thousands of hectares of poor forests to grow rubber, with the aim of developing the economy and creating jobs for the people.
However, through implementation, the projects were ineffective, rubber trees were not suitable for the soil and geology of the border dipterocarp forest area. Rubber prices dropped, productivity decreased, forcing many businesses to abandon land, wasting resources. In particular, some businesses were reported to have rented land to people for the wrong purpose.
Duc Long Gia Lai Group Joint Stock Company was assigned by the Provincial People's Committee to grow rubber with an area of over 1,800 hectares. Currently, there are 300 hectares of rubber plantations, the rest is vacant land. People in Ia Pa district reported that for many years, the company has leased it to farmers to grow short-term crops, leading to a situation where households in Kuai village, Ia Blu commune, are disputing the land with the company.
Mr. Rah Lan Chung - Chairman of Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee has assigned the People's Committee of Chu Puh District to coordinate with Duc Long Gia Lai Group to review the land area leased by the province and currently in use. If it is determined that there is a case of enterprises arbitrarily leasing land to people for the wrong purpose, it must be reported and handled according to the law.
In Po To commune, Ia Pa district, many ethnic minority households lack land for production. The people requested the Provincial People's Committee to reclaim the land area leased by Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group in the land of the Rubber Farm in Po To commune, with more than 93 hectares left fallow.
Mr. Pham Minh Trung - Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Gia Lai province - said that the Provincial People's Committee assigned the People's Committee of Ia Pa district to verify the origin of the land of more than 93 hectares, consider land allocation, land lease, and recognition of land use rights according to authority. The allocation of land to poor households lacking land for production aims to ensure local security and order.
