Conference to deploy project for sustainable development of one million hectares of rice in Mekong Delta. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

On the afternoon of October 15, in Can Tho city, chairing a conference to discuss solutions to promote the implementation of the Project on sustainable development of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh requested to develop preferential policies and mechanisms and identify people as the main subjects in implementing the Project.

Positive results, but implementation still has problems

Reporting at the Conference, a representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said that on November 27, 2023, the Prime Minister signed Decision No. 1490/QD-TTg approving the Project "Sustainable development of 1 million hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030."

Nearly one year after the Prime Minister approved the Project, ministries, branches and localities in the Mekong Delta have coordinated and focused on developing and issuing legal documents to implement the Project; selecting and developing regions to participate in the Project; reviewing and applying technical packages to ensure sustainable development criteria; providing training to improve capacity, reorganizing production and strengthening value chain linkages.

Along with that, coordinate to develop a pilot program for carbon credit payment based on results for 1 million hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta; review and develop projects, invest in upgrading infrastructure in specialized areas; propose solutions to mobilize resources, technical and financial support from carbon finance funds and support funds around the world for the Project.

Ministries, sectors and localities in the Mekong Delta have implemented pilot models of high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation in five provinces and cities: Can Tho, Dong Thap, Kien Giang, Tra Vinh and Soc Trang. According to initial assessments, the rice cultivation model under the Project in the localities has brought positive results.

Total input costs decreased by 10-15%; rice yield of the pilot model reached 6.13-6.51 tons/ha compared to 5.89 tons/ha of the control model; profit of the pilot rice growing model in the project reached 21-25.8 million VND/ha, 1.3-6.2 million VND/ha higher than the control model.

In particular, the pilot model helped reduce 2 tons of CO2/ha compared to the control model of removing straw from the field and reduced 12 tons of CO2/ha compared to the control model of continuous flooding applying the method of burying straw after harvest.

At the conference, leaders of ministries, sectors and localities affirmed that the production of high-quality, low-emission rice in the Mekong Delta has achieved positive results. However, the implementation of the Project still faces difficulties, first of all because Vietnam is the first country in the world to implement large-scale emission reduction on rice; next, the activities and contents are all new, without precedent for reference. Therefore, farmers, enterprises, cooperatives and cooperative groups are not enthusiastic about participating in the Project; the connectivity between the subjects participating in the Project is still limited; the infrastructure serving the production of high-quality, low-emission rice in localities is not synchronous; investment, production organization and product consumption are uncertain.

Delegates proposed mechanisms and policies to mobilize resources including the State, enterprises, preferential loans, and international funding to implement the Project; build sustainable raw material areas; build brands; call for the participation of scientists, apply science and technology in implementation and search for markets to effectively, stably, and sustainably develop 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta.

At the conference, the World Bank (WB) representative affirmed that the WB is strongly committed to this program; requested the Government to pay attention and establish an interdisciplinary working group to handle related issues, harmonize procedures between the two sides, with a clear, feasible, and effective implementation mechanism, promptly sign a loan agreement, and promote financial resources from the WB for the Project.

Concluding the Conference, praising the ministries, branches, localities and people for actively implementing the Project; highly appreciating the enthusiastic and quality opinions of the delegates, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized 5 major orientations and 11 key tasks in implementing the Project for sustainable development of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030.

Building preferential mechanisms and policies for rice

Believing that we must breathe life into rice plants with digital technology, science and technology, knowledge, and innovation; we must love rice plants as ourselves, thereby creating a revolution for rice plants, the Prime Minister requested to mobilize all resources, diversify resources including central and local resources, public-private partnerships, loans, bond issuance, and people's resources for the Project; at the same time, we must use resources effectively, eliminate the request-grant mechanism, and eliminate cumbersome administrative procedures; ensure resources reach localities, production facilities, and farmers.

To effectively implement the Project, the Prime Minister requested to promote the combined strength of the political system, first of all the local self-reliance; mobilize the people's strength, make history for the people; accelerate, break through, achieve the target of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice to achieve 14-15 million tons of rice, 9-10 million tons of rice from this Project before 2030 as soon as possible.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chairs a conference to deploy a project to sustainably develop one million hectares of rice in the Mekong Delta. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

The Prime Minister requested to develop a stable and long-term raw material planning based on the principles of high quality and low emissions; assign localities to coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to complete it in the second quarter of 2025.

Requiring organizations to apply science and technology in developing high-quality, low-emission rice, the Prime Minister pointed out that it is necessary to build a brand for high-quality rice, assigning localities, businesses, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to build regional and world-class brands; along with that are designs, packaging, growing area codes, and geographical indications.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, together with the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Justice and localities, will develop mechanisms, preferential policies and priority institutions for the implementation of the Project; urgently propose that the National Assembly include it in the Joint Resolution on socio-economic development, with the spirit of "solving any problems wherever they arise."

Directing the Bank to support with credit packages for necessary subjects; from now until the end of the year, it is necessary to study and propose preferential credit policies for rice, by 2025, mobilize a credit package of about 30,000 billion VND, the Prime Minister emphasized lending capital to businesses and people to support materials, seeds, and production and business.

Regarding borrowing capital from development partners, the Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to be responsible for borrowing and disbursing; emphasizing the need to establish a fund to support 1 million hectares of rice, including State capital, capital from selling carbon credits, and socialized capital.

The Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to connect domestic and foreign markets, connect businesses to diversify markets, diversify production, and diversify products, so that high-quality rice can widely reach consumers.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will develop a comprehensive project with investment phases and resource allocation for localities to combat climate change, overcome landslides and droughts; propose to summarize this model in Ca Mau to complete this comprehensive project in the first quarter of 2025.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Ministry of Finance coordinate to develop and implement a program to ensure low emissions, reduce methane in agriculture, and increase the sale of carbon credits, to be completed before the second quarter of 2025.

The Prime Minister noted the need to develop enterprises, connect enterprises with localities, cooperatives, and farming households to produce, process, and consume rice; and develop many rice products. Emphasizing the power of the people for the people to make history, the Prime Minister requested to mobilize and gather people's forces to participate in cooperatives and cooperative alliances... so that farmers can be self-reliant, self-reliant, and rise from their own hands and minds.

“The rice revolution cannot be achieved without the strength of the people. The issue is to create material and spiritual benefits for the people; work together, enjoy together,” the Prime Minister pointed out.

Calling on international organizations and development partners to cooperate with Vietnam in implementing the Project with experience, science and technology, finance, administration, institutional improvement, etc., the Prime Minister directed ministries, branches and localities to cooperate with each other, with businesses, with scientists, closely and effectively coordinate between farmers, the State and businesses; coordinate with the private sector and the State sector; establish an interdisciplinary Steering Committee, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha, to effectively implement the Project, in the spirit of "only discussing and doing, not backtracking," "what is said is done, what is committed must be implemented effectively and specifically."

The Prime Minister also pointed out the need to develop infrastructure and strengthen human resource training in the Mekong Delta region to serve the development of high-quality, low-emission rice associated with green growth.

The Prime Minister hopes that with high determination, great efforts, drastic actions, focus, and key points, completing each task and with the spirit of self-reliance, self-improvement, self-awareness, and responsibility of relevant entities, the Project on sustainable development of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta will be effectively implemented in the coming time./.

According to vietnamplus.vn