Businesses commit to purchasing carbon certificates for farmers

This information was given at the seminar "Complete solution for green rice cultivation process, reducing emissions and increasing productivity" held on the morning of January 11 by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) of Dak Lak province in coordination with Netzero Carbon Vietnam Joint Stock Company.

Doanh nghiệp cam kết thu mua chứng chỉ carbon cho nông dân- Ảnh 1. — Leaders of Dak Lak Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and leaders of Netzero Carbon Vietnam Company exchanged with delegates attending the seminar.

Dak Lak wants to develop in parallel with the country's rice

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, Mr. Nguyen Hoai Duong, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: Agriculture is the strength of Dak Lak province with many crops with large areas, high productivity and high value such as durian, coffee, pepper, avocado... Besides, with a rice growing area of over 100,000 hectares and a productivity of over 800,000 tons/year, Dak Lak is one of the localities with the largest area and productivity in the Central Coast and Central Highlands regions.

However, agriculture is also a sector that contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, accelerating the process of global warming. Of which, rice accounts for more than 50% of greenhouse gas emissions. The reason is due to old production habits: prolonged flooding of fields, ineffective use of fertilizers and pesticides. Therefore, consuming green products and reducing emissions is not only a trend of modern society but also an orientation, goal and commitment of Vietnam to the world. "Although Dak Lak is not participating in the Government's 1 million hectare low-emission high-quality rice project in the Mekong Delta, we also want to transform the province's rice production in a modern direction that is green and reduces emissions, creating added value from selling carbon credits" - Mr. Duong said and said that today's discussion will be an opportunity to raise awareness for stakeholders about both advantages and difficulties, in order to find solutions to promote the province's rice industry to develop stably, sustainably and reduce emissions. So that the rice industry of Dak Lak province can develop in parallel with the entire Vietnamese rice industry, reaching far on the path to quality and value.

Why not sell credits but only sell "emission reduction reports"?

Experts from Thailand and Vietnam pointed out that to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it is necessary to convert the rice production model from regular flooding of more than 100 days/crop to alternating wet and dry techniques. In addition, straw must be treated after harvest and absolutely not burned. In addition, it is necessary to use biological products, limiting up to 30% of fertilizers and pesticides to make rice plants cleaner but still ensuring productivity and quality.

Doanh nghiệp cam kết thu mua chứng chỉ carbon cho nông dân- Ảnh 2. — Thai experts share experiences

According to Mr. Tran Minh Tien, Director of Netzero Carbon Vietnam Joint Stock Company: To measure the amount of greenhouse gas reduction from this rice growing model, we use remote sensing technology using low-orbit satellites. This technology is developed by Spiro Carbon Company, a leading unit in carbon index in agriculture in the US. According to recent measurements in Thailand, the new rice production model helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3 - 3.2 tons of CO2e ₍ 1 ton of CO2e _is considered 1 carbon credit - P/V). Netzero Carbon Vietnam is a member of Netzero Carbon Thailand Company, committed to purchasing and consuming this amount of emissions for farmers at a price of 20 USD/ton of _CO2e .

Mr. Tien said: Based on the coordinates, the satellite will continuously monitor the farmer's field from planting to harvest. The data will be stored using blockchain technology and can be accessed at any time. After the rice is harvested, about 15 - 30 days later, the emission reduction report will be issued. Based on that, we will purchase and pay the farmer. The form of cooperation can be directly between the farmer and the company. It can also be through cooperative organizations, cooperatives and organizations such as the agricultural extension and plant protection sectors.

"We just need to issue an emission reduction report and we will buy it immediately without needing a third party to issue the credit. Currently, the most important market is Europe, which has not recognized any credit issued by any organization, but our emission reduction report is built on the guidelines, standards and regulations of the United Nations. And we are selling this report very well to businesses, especially in the Middle East. Before starting with rice, we are purchasing credits in Vietnam and Southeast Asian countries in the field of renewable energy," Mr. Tien explained.

Why Dak Lak and not the rice granary of the Mekong Delta?

In terms of nature, the province has a large enough rice growing area. In addition, the drainage is very good; meanwhile, the Mekong Delta has a long rainy season, affecting the measurement during the days of the water withdrawal cycle, the fields are dry. Netzero Carbon Vietnam wants to start where the conditions are favorable first, then continue to develop in the Mekong Delta. The company's goal is to build a model on an area of 500,000 hectares.

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