A 'standard' Japanese farmer brings Japanese rice to grow in Vietnam

Mr. Sosuke Hanyu (Japan) - the 38th generation of the Hanyu family, a long-standing rice farmer in Japan. Now he has decided to bring Japanese rice varieties to grow in Vietnam - Photo: NVCC

Last year, Mr. Hanyu started a trial planting of 2 hectares, all of which were Japanese rice varieties. Surprisingly, the area of ​​the planting area has now reached 150 hectares.

Bringing Japanese rice to grow in Vietnam

Every month, Hanyu brings engineers from Nagoya University and Tokyo University (Japan) to directly exchange with Thai Binh people.

If any abnormalities arise (pests, weather, etc.) on a daily basis, Japanese engineers will discuss with farmers and promptly give advice.

According to Mr. Hanyu, the advantage of growing rice in Vietnam is that you can harvest 2 to 3 rice crops a year. However, the weather in the North is hot in the summer and very cold in the winter, which is a limitation for Vietnamese agriculture. Therefore, testing many different rice varieties, especially Japanese rice, to find the most suitable rice variety is necessary.

Mr. Hanyu pointed out another factor affecting the quality of Vietnamese rice is the habit of only storing rice at room temperature, which makes rice susceptible to insects. Meanwhile, in Japan, rice is always stored in cold storage, which helps the rice retain its freshness.

After a period of trial planting, the rice varieties that Mr. Hanyu brought to Vietnam were not really suitable for the soil, the yield was not large enough, and the quality was not as expected.

The Hanyu family has run rice production in a village for generations and started coming to Vietnam to grow Japanese rice from 2023 - Photo: NVCC

Not stopping at growing rice

In the near future, he plans to test growing more Japanese rice varieties in Vietnam. When the test results are good and there is enough data to analyze the adaptation to climate and soil, his company will expand the growing area to other provinces.

Regarding the decision to expand the growing area to Vietnam, Hanyu said he believes it will help continue the family tradition, bringing the family business to the 100th anniversary with many new achievements. Especially because currently in Japan, there is no family with a long tradition of rice production like his family. Many farmers in Japan have switched from farming to other jobs.

"I always try to renew myself, connect and meet many people to have new business opportunities. I hope Vietnam will be a destination that brings luck and opportunities to my family company," said Sosuke Hanyu.

Speaking more about the future, Mr. Hanyu hopes to be able to grow Japanese rice in Vietnam that is of sufficient quality to produce sake (currently, he has brought finished rice grown in Vietnam to Japan to try producing sake - PV).

If successful, he will be the first Japanese to have the opportunity to produce sake abroad.

However, he believes that in order to build a factory in Vietnam, in addition to ensuring the quality of rice, a truly pure water source is needed, not tap water or regular filtered water. He hopes to find a suitable water source in Vietnam in the near future.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/anh-nong-dan-chuan-nhat-dua-lua-nhat-sang-trong-o-viet-nam-20240626174228584.htm