Traditional sticky rice variety along the Van Uc river

HAI PHONG There is research that shows that the yellow sticky rice variety in Dai Thang commune has been passed down since the Ly dynasty, and over many centuries people have preserved this specialty rice variety.

The yellow sticky rice variety has been passed down from generation to generation by the people of Dai Thang commune. Photo: Dinh Muoi.

When I grew up, I saw the golden sticky rice...

The agricultural land of Dai Thang commune (Tien Lang district, Hai Phong city) was formed by the alluvium of Thai Binh river and Van Uc river. The fertile alluvial soil here is very suitable for growing rice, especially the yellow sticky rice variety.

According to Dr. Tran Nam Trung (Hai Phong University), the yellow sticky rice variety is known as a traditional sticky rice variety famous in the provinces of the Northern Delta and midlands such as Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Hai Phong... Among them, the yellow sticky rice variety in Hai Phong is a native, pure Vietnamese variety that has existed for a long time, and is on the list of rare plant genetic resources that need to be preserved in our country.

“The specialty rice variety of yellow sticky rice has been widely cultivated in most provinces in the Northern Delta and midlands for generations, but Dai Thang commune has its own unique characteristics. The quality of yellow sticky rice in Dai Thang has an attractive aroma, high nutritional content, delicious sticky rice, and is especially sticky that few other sticky rice varieties can compare to,” said Dr. Tran Nam Trung.

Despite going through many historical periods, with the introduction of many new generation rice varieties, but on the field of more than 300 hectares of Dai Thang commune, the people here have long been loyal to the traditional yellow sticky rice variety, the area has always been maintained stably, accounting for 90 to 100% of the total rice area of ​​the commune. Sticky rice is grown in the crop season, from June to October, the average area is from 5 to 7 sao/household.

With the advantage of flat fields, fertile land, and alluvial deposits all year round, the land here is very suitable for producing golden sticky rice. This is probably the factor that makes the product different from products produced in other places.

Dai Thang Commune currently has about 1,000 households growing yellow sticky rice. Photo: Dinh Muoi.

“Our Dai Thang commune has many specialty crops, but the most famous is the yellow sticky rice. No one knows when this rice variety was first introduced, but it was already available when we were growing up. According to the elders, the yellow sticky rice has been passed down from ancient times, through many ups and downs, but the people still preserve and develop it into a valuable commodity and the main crop of the locality as it is today,” said Mr. Mai Hoa Giang - Chairman of the People's Committee of Dai Thang commune.

Currently, the rice area of ​​Dai Thang commune is about 594 hectares, with two crops per year, in which the winter-spring crop is used to grow non-glutinous rice varieties for food for the whole year, and the summer-autumn crop is mainly used to grow yellow sticky rice with an area of ​​about 285 hectares, with about 1,000 households cultivating it, accounting for about 95% of the rice area of ​​the whole commune, with a yield of 45 - 50 quintals/ha and an income 3 - 4 times higher than other rice varieties.

Livelihood of thousands of households

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Ngoc - Director of Dai Thang Agricultural Cooperative, the local yellow sticky rice is increasingly favored by consumers and brings high value to the people here. Dai Thang's yellow sticky rice has short, slightly round grains, opaque white color and a light aroma. After being cooked, the sticky rice grains will be full, evenly expanded, soft, sticky, and when eaten, it has a rich, fragrant and long-lasting taste.

During harvest season, yellow sticky rice is dried all over the streets, including the yard of the Commune People's Committee. Photo: Dinh Muoi.

From the golden sticky rice grains, people in Dai Thang commune today have processed many special products. First of all, golden sticky rice wine, second is banh chung and finally, mushrooms are made from straw and stubble by-products of sticky rice. All are very popular in the market.

Mr. Bui Van Hoa, a mushroom grower in Dai Thang commune, shared that after the rice harvest, his family often stores straw to grow mushrooms all year round. Mushroom growing not only takes advantage of available materials such as excess straw, but also brings in high income.

At his family's mushroom farm, Mr. Hoa does not buy pre-packaged bags of growing medium but makes his own bags at home. To make growing medium for mushrooms, he often chooses glutinous rice straw, because glutinous rice straw gives 3 to 4 times more mushroom yield than regular rice straw and more specifically, when mushrooms are made from Dai Thang yellow glutinous rice straw, the quality is more delicious than when grown with other growing mediums.

“My family grows mushrooms all year round, and there is always a product. Mushrooms grown from golden sticky rice straw are more fragrant, fatty, nutritious, and sweeter. Basically, we only have enough to sell to regular stores, not enough to sell in the open market,” Mr. Hoa informed.

Yellow sticky rice wine has been developed by local people into an OCOP product with high economic value. Photo: Dinh Muoi.

From the golden sticky rice seeds, Dai Thang people have now processed them into other products such as banh chung, sticky rice, wine to give as gifts and sell to customers in need.

Banh chung with yellow sticky rice can be kept for 15 to 20 days in the cold season without losing its texture. The difference from banh chung wrapped with cultivated sticky rice is that when cut with bamboo strips, the cake will stick together by itself. If you try to cut it with force, you may break the chopsticks and still not be able to get the cake out.

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Golden flower sticky rice is a pure Vietnamese variety that has been passed down from generation to generation, but its yield is often not high. In recent years, from sowing to harvesting, local people have applied mechanization to production, helping to reduce costs, increase productivity, and reduce labor for the people.

OCOP products such as golden flower sticky rice are always sought after by consumers. Photo: Dinh Muoi.

With the current selling price, for every 1 sao (360m2) of yellow sticky rice, farmers earn from 2.6 to 3 million VND, which is 2 to 3 times higher profit than other rice varieties.

Dr. Tran Nam Trung (Hai Phong University) shared that in the past, besides the advantages of specialty sticky rice varieties, the production of this sticky rice variety also encountered many difficulties, especially in the selection of varieties, mainly due to the experience of the people. Although the rice still retained its stickiness and aroma, over a long period of time, the variety had degenerated.

In addition, the combined use of many types of pesticides has caused many natural enemies to be destroyed. On the other hand, the cultivated land and irrigation water sources that have not been assessed for pollution levels also affect the quality of agricultural products, the living environment and the health of workers...

After implementing the project "Building and managing the brand for Dai Thang golden sticky rice products", in 2016, golden sticky rice was granted a trademark registration certificate by the Department of Intellectual Property (Ministry of Science and Technology), opening up a new direction for development of this specialty sticky rice variety.

Dr. Tran Nam Trung is one of the people who has done a lot of research on the yellow sticky rice variety in Hai Phong. Photo: Dinh Muoi.

“After building a model for producing commercial yellow sticky rice according to VietGAP standards, it has helped people improve and implement advanced management and farming methods to create quality products with brands and reputations, thereby increasing profits and increasing product value,” Dr. Tran Nam Trung added.

“Local families with many fields are able to get rich from the yellow sticky rice variety. Anyone who visits Dai Thang fields during harvest season will see the fields as a “sea of ​​gold”, with the rice flowers growing in neat rows and giving off a strong fragrance. We will find a way to preserve this rice variety forever,” said Mr. Luong Thanh Sac - Secretary of the Dai Thang Commune Party Committee.

Source: https://nongsanviet.nongnghiep.vn/giong-lua-nep-co-truyen-ben-dong-song-van-uc-d374844.html