Quang Tri (VNA) - Dang Quang Huu, 44, of Dakrong district in the central province ofQuang Tri, is known as a bank owner who has risen from owning nothing tooffering loans to 600 poor local households. 

Unlike other financiers, he requires no interestpayments, supporting them as they grow forests to escape from poverty.

Huu was born in Gia Dang village – a poorvillage near the sea in Trieu Phong district. He left his hometown in 2003 towork in Huong Hoa Forestry Enterprise in Dakrong district in the hope ofescaping poverty.

No longer after, he met and married his wife, aVan Kieu ethnic minority woman named Ho Thi Huong. They married without money,but with love and ideas to build a prosperous life together.

At first, the couple decided to grow forestunder the encouraging policies from the Government at that time, the TienPhong (Vanguard) newspaper reported.

“I had to borrow money from a bank to buy thefirst seedlings to grow 1ha of acacia forest,” he said.

After several months, the baby acacia trees grewday by day. Five years later, Huu had 21ha of acacia forest. Huu then startedplanting cassava and running an acacia seedling garden. He earned profits ofnearly 1 billion VND (44,000 USD) each year.

“At that time, I thought, ‘I finally escapedfrom poverty, so, why can’t other people?” he said.

“I start thinking of how to help them to get outof poverty,” he added.

He thought of inviting people to see how heplanted the acacia forest and lending them money to buy acacia seedlings aswell as hire an agricultural tractor to till land.

Hữu’s story of becoming a banker began there.

Hữu initially made loans only with the money hehad. People did not have to pay any interest.

Then, when the number of people borrowing fromhim increased, Huu decided to borrow money from banks under the Government’sProgramme 30A, with a low interest rate of 0.29 percent each year. He used themoney to lend to the local poor people, who still had to pay no interest.

The money that local people borrowed from himfluctuated between several millions of dong to dozens of millions of dong. Someborrow money from him and pay back within a year or two, while some take morethan 10 years.

It is estimated that he lends people a total of1.5 billion VND (66,000 USD) each year.

600 households escape poverty

Ho Van Van, 40, of the district’s Huong Hiepcommune, said that several years ago, he was very poor. “My income even couldnot cover daily expenses,” he said. “But Huu helped me. He lent me 3,000 acaciaseedlings and he even lent me money enough to hire an agricultural tractor totill land for growing the trees.”

It costs about 20 million VND (880 USD) to tillland and buy seedlings to grow 1ha of acacia forest. If a farmer plants 1ha ofcassava, it costs about 15 million VND (660 USD).

Vân now has 5ha of acacia forest and 1ha ofcassava. He earns about 300 million VND (13,200 USD) each year.

Ho Van Nguyen, of the district’s Mo O commune,said he already borrowed 22 million VND (968 USD) from Huu to plant 4ha ofcassava last year.

Nguyen said he could pay the money for Huu nowbut he already asked Huu to let him pay the debt one year later so that Nguyencould buy a new agricultural tractor. Huu agreed.

Nguyen Thi Ha, chairwoman of the district’sFarmer’s Association, said Huu was a good example for local people there.

"He sparked the will to escape poverty formany people in the district," she said.

Thanks to Huu, the local people have plantedabout 1,000ha of acacia forest and 500ha of cassava so far.

Le Phuc Thien, chairman of the provincialFarmer’s Association, said Huu was a farmer with great kindness.

Huu received the award of “The mostcompassionate farmer of Vietnam”, given by the Ministry of Agriculture andRural Development and the Central Commission of Propaganda and Training in late2016. He was also gifted Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s certificate of meritto honour him as an outstanding farmer of the country.

Huu said “My dream is not becoming richer, mydream is helping poor farmers escaping from poverty,” he said. - VNA