According to findings, this land was originally leased by Điện Biên Agricultural Seed Joint Stock Company for seed production. However, the company has ceased operations, leaving dozens of hectares idle while residents seek to reclaim them.

According to Mr. Lò Văn Pọm, Chairman of the Quài Nưa Commune People’s Committee, the nearly 21 hectares of farmland in Nong Liếng Village were allocated by the province to the Điện Biên Agricultural Seed Joint Stock Company for cultivating short-term crops such as corn, soybeans, and peanuts to supply Tuần Giáo District and the province. However, by 2019, the company had stopped operations for unknown reasons, leaving the land abandoned since. At times, local authorities observed that some private businesses and individuals had leased the land for farming, but these efforts were short-lived, and the land was soon left idle again.

Ms. Lò Thị Lả, a resident of Nong Liếng Village, shared: “I worked at the Điện Biên Agricultural Seed Joint Stock Company for over 13 years. Since the company shut down, I have been out of work. To support my ailing husband and two school-aged children, I take on any job I can find, but it is still not enough to make ends meet. My greatest hope is to farm this abandoned land - growing corn and cassava, raising livestock, and improving my family’s livelihood”.

Currently, Nong Liếng Village is home to 77 households with a total population of 329, including 31 impoverished families. Mr. Lò Văn Phiếu, Head of Nong Liếng Village, noted that nearly 20 households were once members working as full-time or seasonal laborers for the Điện Biên Agricultural Seed Joint Stock Company. After the company ceased operations, almost ten households left the village in search of jobs and arable land. “It is disheartening to see this land sit idle. If the company is not resuming operations, we hope the authorities will grant residents access to cultivate it. The terrain here is relatively flat, making it well-suited for short-term industrial crops”, he said.

The Điện Biên Provincial People’s Committee addressed residents’ concerns (as outlined in the oversight report on voter petitions following the 15th session of the provincial People’s Council, Report No.257/BC-HĐND, dated December 3, 2024, issued by the Standing Board of the provincial People’s Council). On October 1, 2024, an interagency inspection team, led by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, released Report No.1970/BC-ĐKTLN, evaluating compliance with land-use regulations among organizations leasing land but failing to meet their financial obligations in Điện Biên Province. The findings confirmed that the Điện Biên Agricultural Seed Joint Stock Company had defaulted on its financial obligations for leased land, justifying repossession under Clause 6, Article 81 of the 2024 Land Law.

The inspection team recommended that the provincial People’s Committee direct the provincial Tax Department to complete the necessary documentation and formally request land repossession for organizations that failed to meet their financial obligations. These documents would then be forwarded to the provincial Department of Natural Resources and Environment (as stipulated in Article 30 of Government Decree No.102/2024/NQ-CP, dated July 30, 2024) to finalize procedures for land repossession due to violations of land-use regulations under Clause 6, Article 81 of the 2024 Land Law