Plei Bui village gate (Photo: baogialai.com.vn)

Each day when it gets dark, Ksor Phai drives his tractor back to his house in Plei Bui. Thanks to his hard work, he says, his family has enough to eat and can afford to send all 5 children to school for 12 grades.

For the family’s new house and improved financial status, Ksor Phai credits the new high-yield varieties of coffee he grows on his three hectares.

“We realize that to enjoy better living conditions, we need to apply technology to our production. So whenever a training course taught by agricultural experts is held in the commune, we are ready to participate. I’ve learned, for example, to clear the weeds first, then put down fertilizer and spray pesticide properly. If a coffee tree is not good, we must remove it and plant another. Even if a tree is fully grown, if its beans are substandard, we must cut it down,” said Phai.

Village head Ro Cham Punh said that the Jarai people’s success in escaping poverty and building a new-style rural village is thanks to their diligence and eagerness to learn.

After being selected by Gia Lai province a model new-style rural village to develop, Plei Bui was strongly supported by the State in infrastructure construction and local people donated land, money, and manpower to build new roads and lanes connecting the village to the fields.

Now that Plei Bui has begun to prosper, the villagers’ way of thinking about economic development and building a new lifestyle has changed, and they no longer feel dependent on the State’s support.

Ro Cham Punh said only four of the village’s 120 households remain poor, adding: “Plei Bui villagers now mainly grow coffee and rice and raise cows and chickens. They work and save money for their children’s education.”

Plei Bui has changed a lot. The land is now criss-crossed with good roads and spacious houses stand between verdant orchards, but neatly stacked bundles of firewood and skirts drying in front yards reveal that this is still an ethnic minority village.

Plei Bui village patriarch Puih Bum said he feels happy because their life is changing day by day. He said the villagers have encouraged each other to make Plei Bui a model new-style rural village.

He said: “Plei Bui hamlet has been completely transformed. We now have spacious houses and good roads, thanks to the villagers’ solidarity and the State’s support. The village’s Fatherland Front has led us to an improved lifestyle. We are very pleased and are working to create an even more prosperous hamlet.”