The West has a bumper rice crop.

For a long time, the rice-shrimp rotation production model in the provinces of the Ca Mau peninsula such as Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, Ca Mau and part of Kien Giang has been considered a sustainable way to help farmers escape poverty. However, this model has never brought such high value as the winter-spring crop of 2023 - 2024. In particular, when high-quality fragrant rice varieties such as ST24, ST25 produce the world's best rice covering the fields, helping farmers increase the value of both shrimp and rice.

"Yawning Dog" has a double harvest

Looking at the ST24, ST25, OM18 rice fields on shrimp ponds in Hong Dan, Phuoc Long districts and Gia Rai town (Bac Lieu), it is hard to imagine that this place used to be the "navel" of "Dong Cho Ngap". A land that was once full of low-lying areas, alum, salt, and wild grass growing everywhere. People could only graze buffaloes and raise ducks all year round. But today, through human hands, it has become rotating rice fields on shrimp farming land, full of golden grains, and in full harvest.

Rice - shrimp model in Hong Dan district, Bac Lieu

Mr. Nguyen Van Phong, Director of An Khang Agricultural Service Cooperative (Ninh Quoi A Commune, Hong Dan District, Bac Lieu), excitedly said: "The cooperative has 50 members, more than 850 hectares of cultivated land, of which 200 hectares are for rice - shrimp production. This crop, thanks to favorable weather, the rice yield reached nearly 7 tons/ha, an increase of 0.5 - 1 ton/ha, this is a rare high yield". Farmers are happier when the average selling price of rice is 240,000 VND/gia, an increase of nearly 70,000 VND/gia (1 gia of rice equals 20kg - PV). After deducting expenses, farmers earn a profit of 68 million VND/ha.

Mr. Phong said that the visible benefits of growing rice on shrimp farming land are reducing the amount of rice seeds and fertilizers, limiting the use of pesticides, reducing costs while still achieving high productivity. In addition, the process of rotating rice production with shrimp farming also helps farmers cut off the source of disease transmission from the previous rice crop to the next crop. The organic matter remaining after the shrimp crop is also a source of nutrients to help rice grow. On the contrary, rotating rice not only helps clean the shrimp pond environment but the source of straw and stubble after harvest is also a rich source of food for shrimp. "This year, with a good harvest and good prices, everyone is excited. The cooperative will definitely expand the rice-shrimp area for the next crop," Mr. Phong said.

Rice-shrimp model opens up greater expectations for farmers in the West

Deputy Director of Bac Lieu Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Pham Van Muoi happily informed that out of nearly 47,000 hectares of rice - shrimp in the area, about 15,000 hectares have been harvested. Popular fragrant rice varieties such as: ST24, ST25, Mot bui do, OM18, Dai thom 8... all have prices ranging from 10,600 - 11,500 VND/kg. This is a record price, helping farmers' profits increase from 9 - 24 million VND/ha compared to last year. "If in the past farmers mainly relied on shrimp, now they also focus on rice. Thanks to many high-quality, good-priced rice varieties, combined with the application of science and technology in cultivation, the rice - shrimp model in the locality has really brought high efficiency", Mr. Muoi said.

The world's best rice helps double income

Similar to Bac Lieu, in the last days of the year, going to the communes of Thoi Binh district (Ca Mau) you will see people harvesting giant freshwater prawns raised on rice fields. Thoi Binh is also the district with the largest rice-shrimp production area in Ca Mau province with about 18,000 hectares, followed by U Minh, Tran Van Thoi, Cai Nuoc districts... with the whole province's area of ​​nearly 40,000 hectares.

Mr. Le Van Mua, residing in Tri Luc commune, Thoi Binh district, said that 5.5 hectares of ST25 rice grown in his shrimp pond had just been harvested, with a rice yield of nearly 6 tons/ha. "What's even more exciting is that ST25 rice continues to win the world's best rice award in 2023, so from the beginning of the season, traders have guaranteed the price of rice at nearly 10,000 VND/kg. Thanks to that, my family earned nearly 200 million VND in this rice crop."

Farmers in Thoi Binh District (Ca Mau) harvest shrimp in rotation with high-quality rice.

As a famous rice-shrimp farming household in Tan Bang commune, Thoi Binh district, Mr. Huynh Van Dung said that previously with an area of ​​1.5 hectares, his family earned a maximum of 50 - 60 million VND per year. Until Mr. Dung and 2 households were selected by the authorities to participate in the project "Improving the sustainability of the rice-shrimp farming system". "Thanks to this project, we farmers were trained thoroughly again, not just relying on experience like before. For example, according to the old habit, the straw from the previous rice crop was discarded after being threshed, but now it is tied into bundles and brought to the field to create algae, making food for shrimp. They also guided on pond renovation, water color, shrimp breeding, in general very carefully", Mr. Dung said. Effectively applying technical solutions, with the same 1.5 hectares of rice fields as every year, Mr. Dung's family income has increased to 100 - 120 million VND/year.

According to Mr. Phan Hoang Vu, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ca Mau, the province is promoting the application of science and technology in production to further promote the rice-shrimp model. In particular, special attention is paid to linking to build appropriate production processes; making efforts to implement international standard certifications and multiple certifications so that farmers can sell shrimp in rice rotation to many markets with higher value.

Kien Giang province has also expanded the rice-shrimp area to about 62,500 hectares; Soc Trang 7,500 hectares. Many localities also produce rice-shrimp in more diverse forms such as: Raising 2 shrimp crops (tiger shrimp or white-leg shrimp) in the dry season and growing 1 rice crop in the rainy season with intercropping with tiger shrimp, white-leg shrimp or giant freshwater prawn. Localities also boldly encourage the expansion of the rice-shrimp model in the direction of clean shrimp - safe rice; fragrant rice - clean shrimp, clean shrimp - organic rice; at the same time connecting businesses to guarantee consumption, ensuring output...

It can be said that from a "sure-fire" production model, helping farmers escape poverty, the rice-shrimp production model is now opening up greater expectations. It is a natural, sustainable production model that produces unique, high-quality, high-value agricultural products, thereby significantly increasing income on the same production land area for farmers. For farmers in the West, there is nothing more exciting than the 2023-2024 rice-shrimp crop having a good harvest, good prices, and being harvested right at the end of the year so that every family can have a more prosperous and exciting Tet.

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