Rice and corn weave a prosperous season

The year 2024 ended with many difficulties when storm No. 3 swept through, affecting many rice and corn fields of Thai Nguyen people. However, Thai Nguyen still steadfastly overcame the difficulties to weave golden and prosperous seasons. This year, the whole province planted over 67.2 thousand hectares of rice, over 10.2 thousand hectares of corn, the output of grain crops reached about 420 thousand tons, contributing to ensuring food security in the area.

Hybrid rice has taken root in Ban Ten (Van Lang commune, Dong Hy), where the majority of Mong people live.

Specialty rice in the field

In the spring crop of 2015, the JO2 rice variety was first brought to Thai Nguyen. Although it was only a trial planting model, 25 hectares of JO2 rice took root in Bao Cuong and Binh Thanh (Dinh Hoa), giving a yield higher than expected (about 65 to 70 quintals/ha).

Excited by the first successful rice crops, JO2, a high-quality purebred rice variety originating from Japan, imported and selected by the Agricultural Genetics Institute, has continued to spread to all the fields in the mountainous and highland areas of the province.

Now, JO2 has become a rice variety chosen by many Thai Nguyen farmers to plant in both spring and summer crops. Ms. Nguyen Thi Dinh, Phu Thinh residential group, Hung Son town (Dai Tu), said: My family has 6 sao of rice fields. For the past 4 years, I have been planting JO2 rice variety. Not only does it give high yield and good quality, this rice variety is quite superior in terms of being strong, resistant to natural disasters, drought and pests.

One of the outstanding advantages of this rice variety is that when cooked, JO2 rice has a moderate stickiness, rich flavor, does not get boring, and does not dry out after a whole day. This is the explanation for why JO2 is becoming more and more popular in the province (each year, Thai Nguyen cultivates nearly 10,000 hectares, accounting for about 15% of the total cultivated area of the province).

Therefore, JO2 produced by Thai Nguyen people has been sold at some product showrooms and traditional markets in the province.

In addition to JO2, the purebred Bao Thai rice variety continues to be cultivated and intensively cultivated by the people of Dinh Hoa. Not producing according to the old method, the people of the former war zone have applied scientific and technical advances in fertilization and cultivation so that each golden season comes, each rice flower is full of grain, bringing rice growers a full life.

Mr. Hoang Tu Dien, Vice Chairman of Quy Ky Commune People's Committee (Dinh Hoa), said: Along with using organic fertilizers and biological pesticides, people also produce Bao Thai rice according to VietGAP process, which creates fragrant, soft rice grains, ensures food safety, and is favored by consumers.

Currently, in addition to Dinh Hoa, Bao Thai rice is also produced in Phu Luong and Vo Nhai with a total area of up to 4,000 hectares, accounting for approximately 5% of the province's rice cultivation area. With many advantages such as rich flavor and aroma, Bao Thai rice is also processed into rice noodles, bringing higher economic value to rice growers.

The hybrid rice variety Syn8 has been planted by An Khanh people (Dai Tu), giving high yield and good quality.

So after only 10 years, the rice variety structure of Thai Nguyen has had positive changes, the yield of the following year is always higher than the previous year (currently reaching 56 to 57 quintals/ha). Along with improving productivity by directing good intensive cultivation and planting on the right time frame, the province also always cares about the quality of rice.

Thanks to that, of the total 67.2 thousand hectares of rice cultivation in 2024, over 60% of the area will be cultivated with high-quality rice varieties such as BTE1, Syn 98... Accordingly, specialty rice varieties account for 20% of the cultivated area.

Hybrid corn on sloping land

These days, driving along National Highway 1B, up to the mountainous district of Vo Nhai, everywhere you can see corn hills with leaves starting to wither, revealing plump, round cobs with even kernels. Instead of planting low-yield local corn varieties, currently, the imported corn varieties of Syngenta Vietnam Co., Ltd. are popular in Thai Nguyen in general and the mountainous district of Vo Nhai in particular, especially the corn varieties NK4300 and NK7328.

Mr. Lau Van Bang, Mong Dong Uom area, Dan Tien commune (Vo Nhai), said: In the past, Mong people only grew sticky corn or traditional red corn to eat men men. Now every household grows NK4300 and NK7328 corn, which is easy to care for and produces a lot of corn. Selling corn seeds helps us have money to buy rice...

With a yield of 45 to 50 quintals/ha (an increase of about 10 to 15% compared to 10 years ago), hybrid corn has affirmed its position, becoming one of the main crops of some mountainous and highland communes of the province.

Hybrid corn variety NK7328 has taken root and produced high yield in Dong Dat commune (Phu Luong).

Mr. Nguyen Ta, Head of the Provincial Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection, said: The position of hybrid corn in Thai Nguyen is superior to other crops because it can be grown on single-crop fields, alluvial land along rivers, streams, and creeks. In particular, hybrid corn grows very well on low-sloping hillsides and rocky foothills. Therefore, most communes in Vo Nhai; some communes in the mountainous districts of Phu Luong, Dinh Hoa, Dai Tu, Dong Hy; communes along the Cau River in Phu Binh and Pho Yen City... have planted hybrid corn.

The transformation of corn varieties is a long journey, but with the strong determination of the entire political system, especially the efforts of the advisory agency - Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the people themselves, up to now, hybrid corn varieties have completely replaced native, low-yield corn varieties in the province.

Reality has proven that the right orientations in converting rice and corn varieties to suit the climate and soil have brought Thai Nguyen prosperous harvests. Surpassing people’s expectations, the introduction of new rice and corn varieties has helped Thai Nguyen’s goal of 5-ton and 6-ton fields to always be “within reach”.

Mr. Hoang Thanh Cao, Mong Lung Luong village, Thuong Nung commune (Vo Nhai), shared: Only when we live in difficult days, without enough food and clothes, can we see how precious each grain of rice and corn is. Therefore, we Mong people are very grateful to the cadres who accompanied us in bringing hybrid rice and corn to plant in the village.

Season after season brings prosperity and peace to the people of Thai Nguyen. This year, despite the impact of storms, floods and natural disasters, farmers' rice and corn barns are still full. For more than 5 years now, Thai Nguyen people, including villagers in highland areas such as Thuong Nung, Sang Moc, Than Sa, Dan Tien, etc., have no longer had to worry about making ends meet. New rice and corn varieties have brought prosperity and peace to the people.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/kinh-te/202412/lua-ngo-det-mua-no-am-ee733b1/