Ky Son spiral sticky rice - Coastal specialty

The support of the government, scientific agencies, and the efforts of the people have opened up opportunities to turn Ky Son spiral rice (Kien Hung commune) into a key agricultural product, affirming its position as a specialty of coastal areas.

Building a collective trademark not only protects the Ky Son spiral rice brand from the risk of counterfeiting but also creates a foundation for the product to participate more deeply in the OCOP program of Hai Phong city.

Unique glutinous rice varieties

With a large cultivation area and stable annual output, Ky Son spiral sticky rice, a native sticky rice variety of Kien Hung commune, is entering a new development stage when it receives support in building, exploiting and developing a collective brand.

Ky Son spiral sticky rice is a purebred variety, associated with Kien Hung people for many generations. The curved, drooping golden rice flowers with plump, slightly twisted grains create a “natural brand” that no other sticky rice variety has.

According to local people, this glutinous rice variety is suitable for coastal soil, tolerates salinity well, has strong plants, does not fall over easily, has long panicles and produces many grains. Some plants have been recorded to have more than 2,700 grains per panicle, a number that is much higher than many other glutinous rice varieties.

Mr. Nguyen Van The, a farmer in Ky Son village, shared: “My family has kept the glutinous rice variety from my grandfather’s generation. The spiral sticky rice is sticky, fragrant, and does not dry out when cold. Every family uses it during Tet, weddings, death anniversaries, etc. It sells for a higher price than regular sticky rice, and is very easy to consume.”

Kien Hung commune currently has 390 hectares of Ky Son sticky rice.

Kien Hung Commune (formerly Tan Trao Commune, old Kien Thuy District) has 390 hectares of Ky Son spiral sticky rice, reaching an output of about 2,000 tons, with a total value of over 20 billion VND. For many years, Ky Son spiral sticky rice has been considered a precious rice variety of Kien Hung people.

The year 2025 marks an important turning point when the City Department of Science and Technology organized a selection council to select a unit to carry out the task: "Supporting the management, exploitation and development of the collective brand Ky Son spiral sticky rice for Kien Hung sticky rice products". The selected host unit is the Hai Phong Center for Innovation and Application of Science and Technology, with the goal of synchronizing the production process, management, promotion and development of the Ky Son spiral sticky rice market in a professional direction.

According to Dr. Hoang Ngoc Tuan, former Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Hai Phong, Ky Son spiral rice has unique value, but to develop sustainably, it must be standardized, identified by a collective brand and have a transparent management system. Brands help increase the value of products, thereby giving people a stable income, while limiting the situation of mixing and loss of reputation.

In this task, the government and scientific agencies set out goals to assess the current status of growing areas, value chains and market potential, build a collective brand management model for cooperatives and production households, apply traceability stamps, ensure food quality and safety standards, promote products on digital platforms and distribution systems, support technical training, and raise brand awareness among people.

Building a collective trademark not only protects the Ky Son spiral rice brand from the risk of counterfeiting but also creates a foundation for the product to participate more deeply in the OCOP program of Hai Phong city.

Ky Son spiral rice has a good foundation with precious varieties, large yield, and long-standing culture.

Enhancing key agricultural products

Over the years, along with production development, Kien Hung has gradually introduced spiral sticky rice products into the OCOP assessment system. Some households, groups, or cooperatives have initially applied the VietGAP process, improved packaging and labeling, but still in a sporadic manner. The participation of the collective brand project opens up opportunities for products to be completed according to the 4-5 star OCOP criteria in the near future.

Comrade Tran Bien Thuy, Vice Chairman of Kien Hung Commune People's Committee, assessed that an OCOP product that wants to achieve a high rank must ensure two factors: Stable quality and brand story. Ky Son spiral sticky rice has a good foundation with precious varieties, large output, and a long-standing culture. Standardizing growing areas, processes, and collective brands will help spiral sticky rice easily advance to OCOP at the city level and beyond.

Ky Son spiral sticky rice has many advantages to become a regional specialty product thanks to its characteristic flavor and unique grain shape, high and stable economic value, long history associated with local cultural life and good adaptability to coastal conditions.

This is a glutinous rice variety with clear indigenous characteristics, not confused with other popular glutinous rice varieties. The local government also aims to put spiral glutinous rice into the group of key agricultural products, appearing in fairs, trade promotion booths and connecting with consuming enterprises.

Ky Son spiral sticky rice has long been known as a purebred variety, associated with Kien Hung people for many generations.

From the wild rice variety of Ky Son land, when the collective brand is completed, the quality process is standardized and the product reaches OCOP standards, Ky Son spiral rice can become a strong brand of Hai Phong. Not only bringing income, the product also contributes to preserving the traditional agricultural identity, creating a unique mark of Kien Hung region on the map of Vietnamese agricultural products.

THU HANG

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/nep-xoan-ky-son-dac-san-vung-ven-bien-529009.html