Commune officials share more than 1,000 chickens to ‘reduce poverty’

In October 2013, the People’s Committee of Que An commune (Que Son district, Quang Nam) received funding from this district’s Department of Agriculture to implement a free-range chicken farming model.

After receiving 50 million VND from the New Rural Production Fund of Que Son district, in November 2014, the Que An commune government bought 1,200 chicken breeds to distribute, but only 100 of these chickens reached the people.

`That day, I was selling groceries in front of the commune committee gate and saw commune officials carrying boxes of chicks out of the office one by one. I thought they were giving them away to the people, but it turned out that 1,100 chicks had gone missing.

Ms. Le Thi Phien, the person who discovered the incident.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chin, Head of the Agriculture Department of Que Son district, confirmed that after purchasing chicken breeds, 22 Que An commune officials divided 50 chickens each to raise.

`According to regulations, every year the 6 households participating in the chicken breeding model are responsible for supporting other people on how to raise chickens and reporting results. However, last year’s number of chickens was large and the commune officials sold them all.

Talking to VnExpress, Mr. Hoang Kim Minh, Chairman of Que An Commune People’s Committee, confirmed that 22 commune officials shared more than 1,000 breeding chickens, of which Mr. Minh’s family received 50 chickens.

Affirming that it is wrong for commune officials to divide chickens to raise them, Mr. Le Tan Trung, Chairman of Que Son District People’s Committee, said he is proposing measures to handle the situation.

In addition to Que An commune, there are 12 other communes of Que Son district also receiving capital from the district to implement the poverty reduction program.