The rice industry has many “firsts”
“Burst harvest” is the word that many people mention when talking about the Vietnamese rice industry in 2023. Because, not only is the harvest good, but the price is also good.
According to the report of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the cultivated area in 2023 stopped at 7.16 million hectares, a decrease of 9,000 hectares compared to the previous year, but the yield increased by 1 quintal/ha, the total rice output reached 43.6 million tons.
With abundant supply, the rice industry not only meets domestic consumption and reserve needs but also exports 8 million tons of rice and earns 4.78 billion USD, an increase of 38.7% compared to 2022.
The price of 5% broken rice in our country also reached a historical peak when it increased from 473 USD/ton to 663 USD in 2023. Accordingly, Vietnamese rice has the most expensive price compared to the price of the same type of rice from the world's top exporting countries.
Vietnamese rice has affirmed its quality in the international market when it won the World's Best Rice Award in 2023 held in the Philippines. This is also the second year that Vietnamese rice has won the highest position in this competition.
In the last days of 2023, rice farmers in the Mekong Delta continued to sell fresh rice in the field at an average price of VND9,200/kg. This is also the highest price in history.
Mr. Bui Van Tuan - Director of Cay Trom Agricultural Cooperative (Long An) - shared that with the current stable high rice price, producing 3 rice crops, the members of the cooperative will achieve a profit of about 90-100 million VND/ha/year.
According to a report from the Department of Crop Production, in the northern provinces, people cultivate two rice crops per year. Due to high prices, farmers earn a profit of 37 million VND/ha/year.
At the year-end press conference of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Deputy Minister Phung Duc Tien also mentioned the achievements of the rice industry, including many "firsts" such as the highest price, the largest rice export volume and record export turnover.
At the conference to review the work of 2023 and deploy the tasks of 2024 of the agricultural sector, Mr. Bui Ba Bong, former Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chairman of the Vietnam Rice Industry Association, affirmed that our country's rice industry makes a great contribution to food security in the country and the world. Vietnam is a pioneer and is admired by countries due to its high exports and good quality rice, in the context of countries being under pressure.
"Over the past 30 years, our country's rice exports have increased year after year, averaging 5-8 million tons per year," he emphasized.
However, Mr. Bong said that the agricultural sector still has “two debts”. First, it owes farmers because of low income. Second, it owes the environment because of the use of pesticides, causing greenhouse gas emissions. Solving these two debts will protect the current generation and future generations.
Expanding rice growing space, straw and rice husks also become billions of dollars
According to Mr. Bui Ba Bong, 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" is a new initiative of Vietnam. Corresponding to the project is the participation of 1 million farmers.
“This is a great motivation for Vietnam. Recently, I attended an international rice conference and felt the support of friends around the world,” he said. However, to successfully implement the 1 million hectare rice project, it is necessary to immediately solve the weakest link, which is the connection between farmers and businesses. Along with that, the project needs the decisive participation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and related agencies.
Recently, at a conference in the Mekong Delta, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Loc Troi Group Corporation Huynh Van Thon introduced a polymer bag product using raw materials from rice husks.
He calculated that with 43 million tons of rice, 5 million tons of rice husks will be harvested, making millions of tons of biopolymers, bringing in profits of 3-3.5 billion USD/year.
According to Mr. Thon, farmers currently have a heavy responsibility, having to fulfill the mission of ensuring food security, reducing emissions... in the context of facing many challenges related to climate change and the environment. Therefore, using by-products from the rice industry to produce many other products is a way to increase farmers' income.
Source
Comment (0)