Everything is good, just hard to maintain
In the 2023 crop season, the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center will implement a high-quality organic rice production model associated with businesses consuming products in Tu Luu village, Hoang Khai commune (Yen Son) on an area of 5 hectares. To have this area to implement the model, the people here had to spend 6 months converting. The selected area is also the rice field area located upstream of the water source, far from residential areas, far from cemeteries... and many other strict conditions of organic production.
People visit the organic rice model implemented in Hoang Khai commune (Yen Son) in the 2023 crop season.
Mr. Le Cong Cham, Head of Tu Luu Village, one of the households participating in the model, said that producing high-quality rice according to organic standards has many advantages, the biggest of which is that the environment is clean and the health of the producers is guaranteed. Mr. Cham shared that in the past, he had to take on the task of spraying pesticides for each crop, and there were days when he sprayed pesticides and encountered wind, and he felt dizzy for several days. When producing according to organic standards, pesticides and fertilizers are all biological drugs... production is much easier and ensures health. In addition, thanks to such special care, the quality of rice is also more delicious and rich than traditional production.
From the effectiveness of the model, the provincial Agricultural Extension Center encouraged and guided Hoang Khai commune to continue replicating the model in this year's spring crop.
However, according to comrade Tran Van Hoang, Chairman of Hoang Khai Commune People's Committee, this spring crop, Hoang Khai not only failed to expand the area, but the 5 hectares of organic production from last year's crop also... returned to the old production method.
Ms. Luu Thi Thuong, an agricultural extension officer of the commune, said that there are many reasons why the organic rice production area cannot be maintained. The reason is that although many strict organic production processes must be followed, the selling price of the product compared to conventional production is not different. Some households, such as the family of village chief Le Cong Cham, want to maintain organic production, but because the rice fields are fragmented and located among the fields of other people, it is impossible for only one household to apply organic standards among dozens of households spraying pesticides and applying chemical fertilizers.
Not only Hoang Khai, in 2023, Minh Huong commune (Ham Yen) also implemented an organic rice production model in Minh Quang village 7. However, this area could not be maintained.
Sustainable direction
Minh Thanh (Son Duong) is one of the few localities that has built a model and still maintains an organic rice production area. Currently, this commune has organic rice products certified as 3-star OCOP products. According to comrade Nguyen Ngoc Hua, Secretary of the Minh Thanh Commune Party Committee, the area of rice production certified as organic in the commune is more than 3 hectares. The characteristic of this production model is that it uses completely spring water for production, the process is applied completely according to organic standards, so the product is more delicious and richer than rice produced elsewhere. Currently, the commune is guiding the cooperative on the procedures to access support capital sources, continuing to expand the organic rice growing area to over 5 hectares. At the same time, it encourages people to learn and gradually convert to production according to organic standards to meet market demand.
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim, Deputy Director of the Agricultural Extension Center, organic rice production is currently being widely replicated in many localities, especially when greenhouse gas emission reduction is being prioritized in our country. Every year, the Provincial Agricultural Extension Center tries to build 1-2 organic rice production models to both serve as a model and to promote and encourage people to apply.
The difficulty of organic rice production today is the fragmented rice fields. When organic standards require many conditions, including conditions on water resources, production space... To encourage organic production, the Provincial People's Council issued Resolution 06 on encouraging the development of organic agricultural production in the province. This includes mechanisms to support conversion, support transfer, application of science and technology and product certification, support investment in factories, infrastructure, machinery and equipment and bringing products to the supermarket system, convenience stores, safe product supply chains...
According to Ms. Kim, in order for organic rice production to be increasingly interested and expanded in area, ensuring environmental conditions, localities need to pay more attention to planning concentrated production areas associated with new rural construction, minimizing environmental pollution in agricultural production. Developing organic production areas associated with domestic and export markets.
At the same time, support and promote the development of linkages between households and cooperatives; between cooperatives and enterprises to improve efficiency in organic production. Support and train to improve management capacity for cooperatives and cooperative groups, identify cooperatives and cooperative groups as important factors and links in the organic production chain.
Green economy agriculture is becoming a trend, a sustainable direction. In particular, organic rice production models and carbon credit sales are being successfully applied by many southern provinces. As Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan affirmed: Sooner or later, eco-labels are required on new products to be put on the shelves of consumer centers, not just to improve quality. Therefore, whoever wakes up early will reach the finish line early.
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