Cooperatives contribute to affirming the value of "our village's rice"

Rice products are supported to promote trade and boost consumption in the market. Photo: MINH DUYEN

Application of science, engineering and technology

Currently, in the cooperative's fields, land preparation is done by plowing machines, rice sowing is done by seed drills, pesticides are sprayed by drones, harvesting is done by combine harvesters, and straw is also rolled automatically by machines. After harvest, rice is transported to the cooperative for drying and automatic bagging... It can be said that all production stages are being mechanized by the cooperatives with an average rate of over 90%.

An Nghiep Agricultural Cooperative (Tuy An District) is one of the first cooperatives in the province to put rice dryers into operation. Since 2019, the dryer has been operating well with a capacity of 15-35 tons/batch, helping farmers no longer worry about the unusual rainy and sunny weather during each harvest. Following this cooperative, many cooperatives in the province have also invested in dryers, freeing up labor and stabilizing production.

According to Mr. Nguyen Van Dong, Director of Hoa Phong Agricultural Service Cooperative (Tay Hoa district), the unit invested in purchasing an electric dryer with a capacity of 5-8 tons of rice/shift. In particular, the machine is operated by smart technology 4.0, which means it automatically turns off when there is enough humidity and heat. Currently, with unusual weather developments, if the rice is only left to dry in the sun after harvest, the humidity will still remain, causing the rice grains to be of poor quality. Putting the dryer into operation will meet the needs of the people, helping them to store rice for a long time, waiting for the time to sell without being forced to lower the price.

Not only applying production techniques such as sowing in rows, sowing in thin rows, integrated pest management IPM, "1 must, 5 reductions", "3 reductions, 3 increases"..., Hoa Dinh Dong Agricultural Service Cooperative (Phu Hoa district) also piloted a model of using land and fertilizer reasonably for rice plants using digital technology. Mr. Le Van Dinh, Director of this cooperative, said: The database on agricultural land will be digitized into software. Cooperative members only need to use their phones and download the software to grasp all information about the land associated with each stage of growth and development of rice plants and each stage of land preparation, seeding, panicle formation... At each stage, the software will recommend the appropriate amount of fertilizer and pesticides for the best plant growth as well as warn of the risk of disease outbreaks for immediate treatment upon detection...

Increase the value of goods

Improving production techniques and changing outdated farming habits have helped rice become valuable products. This value has once again been affirmed by cooperatives by building high-quality rice brands. These include Hoa Vang fragrant rice products of An Nghiep Agricultural Cooperative (Tuy An district), Hoa Phu quality rice of Hoa Phu Agricultural Service Cooperative (Tay Hoa district), Dat Phu high-quality rice of Phu Yen Agricultural Cooperative (Phu Hoa district), Hoa Thanh high-quality rice of Hoa Thanh General Agricultural Service Cooperative (Dong Hoa town), Hoa Quang Nam quality rice of Hoa Quang Nam Agricultural Service Cooperative (Phu Hoa district)...

According to the Provincial Cooperative Union, the province has 145 agricultural cooperatives managing rice production activities. Moving beyond rudimentary production, cooperatives are moving towards mechanization, applying science and technology to help rice plants and rice grains gradually become valuable commodities in the market. Currently, all cooperatives that have built a brand for high-quality rice products purchase 100% of their members' output. Finding outlets for rice grains is therefore no longer a difficult problem for cooperatives.

Mr. Tran Tan Khoa, Director of An Nghiep Agricultural Cooperative, said: In 2022, the Hoa Vang fragrant rice product of the Cooperative achieved the provincial 3-star OCOP certification. After the expiration date, the Cooperative continued to complete the registration dossier and the product once again achieved the 2nd 3-star OCOP certification in 2024. Along with this process, the Cooperative's rice products are becoming more and more professional. Not only is the quality of the rice improved, but the packaging design and product information are also becoming clearer and more transparent. Thanks to that, the product is available in supermarkets and stores, and many companies have registered to represent it for consumption. An Nghiep rice according to orders is available domestically and internationally.

Also with the desire to increase the value of hometown rice, many cooperatives want to connect cooperatives to produce rice together to bring the rice brand from the village level to the whole district and province. According to Mr. Nguyen Huu Hong, Director of Hoa Tri 2 Agricultural Service Cooperative, the cooperative calls on many local cooperatives to work together to build the Phu Hoa rice brand. The cooperatives all agree and are working with the cooperative to buy dryers, bagging machines, register trademarks, barcodes for goods, etc.

Source: https://baophuyen.vn/kinh-te/202505/hop-tac-xa-gop-phan-khang-dinh-gia-tri-hat-gao-lang-ta-3261b89/