Looking from the 2023 spring rice crop

Linking production and consumption of agricultural products is an inevitable trend, but the effectiveness depends on the dynamism and activeness of the participating parties. In Thanh Hoa, in recent seasons, the Agricultural Service and Rural Development Cooperative of Xuan Minh Commune (Tho Xuan) has played a very good role as a bridge between businesses and farmers.

Enterprises-Cooperatives-Farmers develop together: Looking from the 2023 spring rice crop The 2023 spring rice production cooperation field between enterprises, cooperatives and farmers in Xuan Minh commune before harvest time.

Visiting the rice linkage model in Xuan Minh commune in late May, we were mesmerized by the vast fields of golden yellow like a carpet. Also participating in the evaluation of productivity and efficiency of the linkage were leaders of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Tho Xuan District People's Committee, and the cooperative enterprise, Thai Binh Seed Group. All of them highly appreciated the productivity of the linked rice here, reaching about 75 to 80 quintals/ha.

In the spring crop of 2023, the Xuan Minh Commune Agricultural and Rural Development Service Cooperative cooperated with Thai Binh Seed Group to form a rice linkage area of up to 170 hectares. The cooperative called on farmers to contribute fields and cultivate according to recommendations. The enterprise supplied TBR 225 rice varieties and provided guidance on cultivation techniques. Because the rice was well selected and cultivated according to technical requirements, this year's growth process did not develop pests or diseases, and farmers did not have to spend money on pesticides. After the rice was harvested, the enterprise and the cooperative guaranteed the purchase of the rice at a price 20% higher than the market price of commercial rice.

Director of the Agricultural Services and Rural Development Cooperative of Xuan Minh Commune, Do Thi Hoa, said: “For more than 10 rice crops, we have represented local farmers to maintain production links with Thai Binh Seed Group and have all been successful. Previously, local production was small-scale, and farmers had difficulty selling rice after harvest. In order to improve product quality and meet new development requirements, from 2016 to 2017, the linkage began to be implemented step by step. At that time, the leaders of the District People's Committee suggested and committed to accompany, I boldly connected farmers to implement 50 hectares of rice cultivation linkage. Right from the first crop, the model of production cooperation between the Cooperative and Thai Binh Seed Group was successful. The rice seeds were thoroughly decontaminated and purchased by the group at a price of 9 million VND/ton, while at that time, the price purchased by traders was only about 6 million VND/ton. Notably, in the 2018 spring-summer crop, the entire Cooperative harvested 1,000 tons of rice. People are excited because of the good harvest and good price, helping the production linkage become increasingly stronger.

According to Director Do Thi Hoa, linking with businesses to produce with pre-existing contracts is also a way to help farmers avoid the situation of good harvest but low prices. On the other hand, when linking production with cooperatives, local farmers are supplied with seeds, fertilizers, and agricultural materials at the price of level 1 agents, and can pay in installments after the harvest.

Evaluating the results of cooperation in Xuan Minh commune, Labor Hero Tran Manh Bao, General Director of Thai Binh Seed Group, affirmed: “This is a clear result in transferring technical advances in cultivation to farmers and cooperatives. Cooperation in rice production in large-scale field models has helped farmers improve their intensive farming skills, specifically in Xuan Minh commune, last spring, the rice yield of many linked fields reached 8 tons/ha”.

From the success in practice, the Agricultural Services and Rural Development Cooperative of Xuan Minh commune has invested in purchasing 2 agricultural drying systems, applying industrial drying technology, with a capacity of 80 tons/day/machine, rice is collected to process rice under the trade name "Hoa Minh" to supply the market. Farmers see the cooperation as beneficial, bringing higher income, so more and more join the cooperative. It is known that the cooperative has expanded its linked area to communes in the region with a total linked area of 290 hectares of rice in the 2023 spring crop. The cooperative's revenue in recent years has reached 15 to 18 billion VND, with a profit of about 10%. 40 regular workers in the cooperative have an average income of nearly 8 million VND/person/month.

There are dozens of effective cooperation models between enterprises, cooperatives and farmers in the province. Sao Khue Trading Joint Stock Company in Dong Son district also cooperates in producing various types of rice in many districts with a total area of nearly 1,000 hectares per crop. Luu Suong Trading Company Limited (Ha Trung) also cooperates in cultivating 700 hectares of rice in many delta districts to purchase and process commercial rice. According to a synthesis from the Thanh Hoa Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection, in the spring crop of 2023, the whole province has maintained and developed production in the form of linkage associated with product consumption for nearly 3,600 hectares of rice of all kinds. In addition to cooperatives, farmers participating in production linkage models have an income about 20 to 30% higher than small-scale farming.

Article and photos: Linh Truong

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