Duong Go Lo Cooperative pioneers in growing organic rice with new thinking

An Giang From the traditional production model, Duong Go Lo Cooperative has switched to organic rice production, becoming a bright spot for green agricultural thinking in An Giang.

Opening a new path for collective economy

The information that Duong Go Lo Agricultural Cooperative (Cooperative) was honored at the 1st Patriotic Emulation Congress held in Hanoi on the occasion of the 80th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Agriculture and Environment Sector (1945-2025) is not too surprising to many people. Because this is a typical cooperative of An Giang province, not only pioneering in organic rice production but also having a unique way of consuming rice through "auction", bringing many benefits to members.

Located in Duong Go Lo Hamlet, Long Thanh Commune ( An Giang Province), Duong Go Lo Agricultural Cooperative was established in 2015, currently has 162 members with 224 hectares of cultivated land. After nearly a decade of operation, this farmer organization has overcome the stereotype of "traditional farming", to embark on a new journey, producing organic rice according to modern economic thinking, taking green and sustainable values ​​as a guiding principle.

Members of Duong Go Lo Agricultural Cooperative install greenhouse gas emission measuring devices to implement a rice production model that reduces emissions. Photo: Trung Chanh.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Phuong, Director of the Cooperative, said that since its establishment, the unit has always taken “connection and service” as the pillar of development. The Cooperative currently operates synchronous services of pumping, land preparation, harvesting, seed supply, spraying pesticides by drones, selling solar power, creating a stable source of income and regular jobs for 15 local workers.

Not only bringing profits, these services also help farmers in the region reduce costs, take initiative in seasons and avoid output risks. In addition to production activities, the Cooperative also organizes interest-free revolving capital, supports disadvantaged households, and contributes to limiting hot loans in rural areas.

Accompanying the Cooperative is the Long Thanh Commune Community Agricultural Extension Team, which takes on the role of technical consultancy, training on safe production processes, supporting digital transformation and connecting with the province's agricultural projects. Thanks to that, the Cooperative's farmers are not only "good at what they do" but also "understand what they do", gradually approaching modern, environmentally friendly farming methods.

From the traditional foundation of "3 reductions, 3 increases", "1 must, 5 reductions", the Cooperative has boldly applied advanced technical advances such as row sowing, integrated pest management (IPM), electrification of irrigation pumps, spraying pesticides by drone, and most recently, converting to organic rice production according to VietGAP process.

Director of Duong Go Lo Agricultural Cooperative Nguyen Hong Phuong brings a water level measuring device to the field to monitor the implementation of the alternating wet and dry irrigation process on the field participating in the 1 million hectare high-quality rice project. Photo: Trung Chanh.

The important turning point took place in the 2017-2018 winter-spring rice crop, when the Cooperative began to shift to experimental planting of 20 hectares of DS1 rice variety in an organic direction. The success of the first model opened a new path, and to date the area has expanded to 200 hectares, thanks to stable productivity and high selling prices, with an average profit of about 70 million VND/ha, much higher than traditional farming.

Duong Go Lo Agricultural Cooperative provides multiple services for its members, from pumping, tilling, harvesting, supplying seeds, sowing rice, spreading fertilizer, and spraying pesticides using drones. Photo: T. Trung Chanh.

In 2022, the Cooperative was granted VietGAP certification for 50 hectares and a year later, the DS1 rice brand of Duong Go Lo Cooperative achieved 3-star OCOP. Following the success, the Cooperative is currently completing the process of tracing the origin of Dai Thom 8 rice, aiming to meet export standards. "Modern farming thinking must be economic thinking, focusing on quality and environment, aiming for green, safe and sustainable values ​​for future generations," Director Nguyen Hong Phuong shared.

With constant efforts, the Cooperative has become the core of the organic farming movement in An Giang, a typical example in transforming farmers' thinking, gathering individual farmers into a collective that owns the value chain.

The Key to Trust

Not only innovating in production, Duong Go Lo Agricultural Cooperative is also a pioneer in linking with enterprises to purchase output through transparent bidding. Before each production season, the Board of Directors of the Cooperative holds a meeting of members, unifying the sowing schedule, irrigation pumping plan and reasonable water regulation, creating synchronization across the entire field, a decisive factor for enterprises to trust and sign long-term contracts.

Duong Go Lo Agricultural Cooperative sells rice through transparent bidding, both affirming the reputation of the clean production model and bringing benefits to its members. Photo: Trung Chanh.

In the 2022-2023 winter-spring crop, up to 18 enterprises participated in the bidding to buy DS1 rice seeds produced by Duong Go Lo Agricultural Cooperative. As a result, Huy Quang Enterprise (Tan Hiep) won the bid to purchase fresh rice at the field at a price of 8,800 VND/kg, 200 VND/kg higher than the market price. This connection helps members feel secure in investing in production, while affirming the reputation of the clean and transparent production model.

“When a company undertakes to buy rice, farmers can rest assured that they are doing it right and don’t have to worry about prices dropping. We don’t just sell rice, we also sell our belief in clean rice,” Director Nguyen Hong Phuong shared.

In parallel with the development of the rice value chain, many members of the Cooperative have also diversified their livelihoods towards circular agriculture: growing fruit trees, vegetables, combining fish farming and eco-tourism. Some members have invested in drones to serve the Cooperative in sowing, spraying, and spreading fertilizer, earning a profit of 160-370 million VND per year. This is an "internal agricultural service" model that helps the Cooperative operate in a closed loop, reducing external hiring costs and improving labor productivity.

The Cooperative is also known as a bright spot in the community. In 2024, the Cooperative contributed more than 50 million VND and dozens of working days to build bridges, street lights, green fences, and remove toilets on the river. These are small but meaningful jobs, linking agricultural production with environmental protection and new rural construction.

In the journey of "greening Vietnamese rice", the Cooperative has made an important contribution to realizing the Project of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice that An Giang is implementing, affirming the pioneering role of the collective economy in the green development period.

“We always believe that a strong cooperative is not only based on revenue, but also on trust and community cohesion,” Mr. Phuong shared.

Entering the 2025-2030 period, the Cooperative aims to convert 100% of the area to organic rice, linked with traceability and building the brand "Duong Go Lo Rice" to achieve 4-star OCOP, aiming for export. At the same time, the unit is implementing comprehensive digital transformation, applying electronic diaries, managing raw material areas, and gradually building a model of smart, low-emission agricultural cooperatives.

Duong Go Lo Cooperative participates in the implementation of the 1 million hectare high-quality, low-emission rice project, contributing to "greening Vietnamese rice" on the journey of international integration. Photo: Trung Chanh.

“Today’s success is the result of collective trust and the support of the government. We hope to receive further support in science and technology, capital and trade promotion so that Duong Go Lo organic rice can reach further,” said Mr. Nguyen Hong Phuong.

With outstanding results, Duong Go Lo Agricultural Cooperative was honored to continuously achieve First place in the provincial emulation movement, was awarded the Emulation Flag of Kien Giang Provincial People's Committee in the years 2018-2021 and especially the Emulation Flag of the Government in 2023, a worthy reward for the collective that is constantly innovating and creating. In particular, Director Nguyen Hong Phuong was honored to receive a Certificate of Merit from the Minister of Agriculture and Environment for his outstanding achievements in implementing patriotic emulation movements in the period 2021-2025, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Agriculture and Environment sector.

Source: https://nongnghiepmoitruong.vn/hop-tac-xa-duong-go-lo-tien-phong-trong-lua-huu-co-theo-tu-duy-moi-d783693.html