Good news from high-quality, low-emission rice

"Sustainably developing one million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030" is a very meaningful project for farmers in the Southwest region and the Vietnamese rice industry. Dong Thap and Long An are two provinces in the Dong Thap Muoi region that have actively participated in the project, initially recording many positive results.

Harvesting rice at Thang Loi Agricultural Service Cooperative, Lang Bien Commune, Thap Muoi District, Dong Thap Province. (Photo: HUU NGHIA)

In reality, the government and farmers are reorganizing the production system according to the value chain, applying sustainable farming processes to increase the value of rice, improve the lives of rice growers, protect the environment, and adapt to climate change...

Good news

After more than three months of sowing, nearly 50 hectares of pilot rice under the Project "Sustainable development of one million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030" (abbreviated as the Project) at Thang Loi Agricultural Service Cooperative, Lang Bien Commune, Thap Muoi District, Dong Thap Province have been harvested.

Mr. Tran Tan Dang, one of more than 20 farmers participating in the pilot implementation of the Project in the 2024 autumn-winter crop, said: "I have 2 hectares participating in the pilot project. When harvested, the yield reached more than 7 tons/ha, about 500 kg/ha higher than traditional rice production. The rice quality met the standards set by the Project, and the profit was about 4.3 million VND/ha higher than the control rice area."

Many other farmers have confirmed that they will continue to participate in the project in the next crop. They believe that not burning straw, reducing the amount of fertilizer, reducing the number of times pesticides are sprayed, and reducing the amount of seeds sown will reduce production costs, which is the profit...

Dong Thap is one of five provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta region selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to pilot the Project. Thang Loi Agricultural Service Cooperative has pioneered the implementation of a model with nearly 50 hectares. The pilot implementation period of the Project will start from the autumn-winter crop of 2024 and last for three consecutive crops.

Farmers participating in the model must keep a production diary, attend all training sessions, follow the instructions and especially not burn straw in the fields. Farmers are trained in rice cultivation techniques; every week, technical staff visit the fields, promptly provide measures to treat pests and diseases, support policies, etc.

Head of the Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection of Dong Thap province, Tran Thanh Tam, said that the area participating in the pilot project has reduced the amount of seeds to only 70 kg/ha; reduced agricultural materials; straw is collected and processed; there is a link to rice consumption with businesses... Initial results, the area participating in the project reduced production costs by more than 1.6 million VND/ha, the profit is nearly 4.3 million VND/ha higher than the control rice area. Regarding greenhouse gas emissions, 4.92 tons of CO2/ha have been reduced...

In Long An, the province determined that to successfully implement the Project, farmers must participate in cooperatives; 100% of high-quality, low-emission rice areas must have links between enterprises and cooperative groups and cooperatives in production and product consumption.

According to Director of Vinh Thuan Agricultural Cooperative, Vinh Hung District, Long An Province, Nguyen Thi Dieu Ngan, the greenhouse gas emission standards of the Project have been implemented by the cooperative through three rice crops and are continuing to be expanded to many members and farmers associated with the unit.

For example, planting trees on the banks of rice fields; using biological products to prevent and control pests on rice... have been successfully applied by the cooperative for many years. Up to now, the cooperative has more than 1,150 hectares of rice, all applying high technology in production, of which about 100 hectares are produced according to VietGAP standards for export to Europe; 50 hectares are used for rice seed production; the remaining about 1,000 hectares are used for cultivating high-quality commercial rice, which is contracted by the enterprise, with the purchase price being about 3,000 VND/kg higher than the market price at the time of harvest.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Dieu Ngan added: "Growing clean rice that meets European standards, the profit is more than four million VND/ha higher than traditional rice production. The cooperative contracts to consume and manage product quality with businesses.

Farmers are responsible for sowing seeds, killing snails, killing weeds, and fertilizing, while the company periodically sprays biological products to protect plants. Farmers are very excited about this method and it is spreading to many other specialized rice growing areas in the locality."

With 83 members and links with outside farmers, each crop, Vinh Thuan Agricultural Cooperative supplies businesses with about 1,000 tons of clean rice that meets export standards to Europe. The cooperative is continuing to negotiate prices to sign more contracts with businesses to expand production areas...

Replicating the model

Mr. Dinh Quang Hieu, representative of the Institute of Agricultural Environment (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) said that the Institute has monitored and calculated greenhouse gas emissions for nearly 50 hectares of rice of farmers in Thap Muoi participating in the pilot implementation of the Project. Accordingly, in the 2024 autumn-winter rice crop, greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by an average of 4.92 tons of CO2/ha, equivalent to a 43.4% reduction compared to traditional farming methods. This emission reduction rate exceeds the initial proposal (more than 10%).

However, during the pilot implementation, there were still some difficulties and limitations such as: uneven fertilization; draining water from rice fields 12-21 days after sowing is not feasible; collecting straw during the rainy season is difficult; collecting and storing straw at the same time with large volumes requires many solutions...

Regarding the rice production area of Thang Loi Agricultural Service Cooperative participating in the pilot implementation of the Project, the agricultural sector and local authorities will mobilize more farming households with adjacent production land (more than 10 hectares) to participate to facilitate and be more effective in irrigation in the fields. Try to increase the area participating in the Project in the 2024-2025 winter-spring rice crop in Thap Muoi district to about 150 hectares.

Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dong Thap province Nguyen Van Vu Minh said that from the results of the recent autumn-winter rice crop, in the 2024-2025 winter-spring rice crop, the province will have policies to encourage and support farmers to overcome limitations, improve cultivation processes, and increasingly better meet the criteria of the project such as: Water control, early-season water withdrawal, pest control, etc.

Complete solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions such as straw collection and stubble treatment. The agricultural sector will also use practical results to introduce specific methods to farmers to ensure productivity, quality, reduce farming costs, increase profits, and contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

In the 2024-2025 winter-spring rice crop, Dong Thap will replicate it in the remaining eight districts of the province with 11 models, covering a total area of over 1,300 hectares, implemented continuously in three crops. The goal is that by 2025, Dong Thap province will have about 50,000 hectares of rice participating in the Project and by 2030, it will increase to about 161,000 hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Long An province, by the end of 2025, the whole province will have 60,000 hectares of high-quality rice participating in the Project and by 2030, it will be 120,000 hectares. To soon realize the goal, in the winter-spring crop of 2024-2025, in the localities of Dong Thap Muoi region of Long An province, nine models in the Project will be implemented with a total area of over 150 hectares.

In addition, a Japanese company will implement two pilot models at the Hoa Phu Agricultural Research and Service Center (Chau Thanh District) and a farmer in Vinh Tri Commune (Vinh Hung District), each model covering 0.5 hectares. These pilot models are to determine the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from rice cultivation and the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions when applying the alternate flooding and drying method.

Thereby, the enterprise provides in-depth knowledge and skills on sustainable agriculture, carbon credits and is responsible for connecting funding sources from the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), or voluntary carbon credits to support farmers in promoting green transformation, ensuring financial resources for implementing projects and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Long An province Nguyen Minh Lam said that, based on the program of developing high-tech agriculture associated with restructuring the agricultural sector towards improving quality and building product value chains that have been built over the past three years, Long An province is determined to contribute to the implementation of the project "Sustainable development of one million hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030" according to the set plan.

The province pays more attention to reorganizing production, consolidating and improving the quality and efficiency of cooperatives; establishing new cooperatives, enterprises and enterprises applying high technology in rice production...

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