Ong Cua ST25 rice was honored for the third time as " the world's best rice" in Phnom Penh (Cambodia), after two victories in 2019 and 2023. The competition is organized annually by The Rice Trader (USA). The winning rice must be fragrant, sticky, soft; the rice grains must be dry and cooked. The competition does not prohibit the first prize-winning rice from participating in the next competitions.
Engineer Ho Quang Cua said that he continued to enter ST25 in the competition despite having previously won first prize to prove the variety’s stable quality over many crops, while also affirming the position of Vietnamese rice in the international market and expanding export opportunities. Unlike the previous two times, which were planted in the winter-spring crop, this year’s batch of rice was produced in the summer-autumn crop – a time that is often unfavorable for fragrant rice, demonstrating the variety’s ability to adapt and maintain quality.
"This achievement comes from more than 20 years of genetic selection to create this year's rice variety with long, white grains, sticky rice with the aroma of pandan leaves and young rice, and still soft when cold," said Mr. Cua.
The farming process was built by him based on the biological foundation and experience accumulated from Professor Nguyen Tho. He uses microbial products to decompose straw, improve the soil, reduce pests, and help rice grains retain their whiteness and natural aroma. Many times, when organic fertilizers were not applied, earthworms appeared throughout the fields - which, according to him, is a sign of a healthy soil ecosystem.
Thanks to these growing conditions, ST25 rice in the summer-autumn crop still meets the standards of white - sticky - fragrant, and does not lose its scent when left overnight. Although the growing period is 5-7 days longer, the summer-autumn crop reaches 75% of the winter-spring crop's yield, which is considered very high. His model is currently applied by nearly 2,000 households on more than 3,000 hectares in Ca Mau, An Giang , and Can Tho, with a yield of 6-8 tons/ha and a rice price of 9,000-13,000 VND/kg.
Increased reputation leads to fake rice. Mr. Cua believes that this is an inevitable consequence of a famous product, but it is important for businesses to maintain production standards to protect their reputation. Consumers who are used to using standard rice can still recognize it through its characteristic aroma, stickiness and sweetness. To protect the brand, he built an identification logo and registered for protection in the US, UK, EU, China, Australia and Vietnam.
According to Mr. Cua, selecting varieties and building a brand both take time. The fact that ST25 has won international awards three times not only affirms the quality of Vietnamese rice but also shows that when counterfeit products appear more and more, consumers tend to look for genuine products.
Source: https://baohatinh.vn/li-do-st25-lan-thu-3-thang-giai-gao-ngon-nhat-the-gioi-post300739.html
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