Joy from the 1 million hectare rice project (Part 3)

Approved by the Prime Minister at the end of 2023, the Project to cultivate 1 million hectares of high-quality rice is of significant importance in guiding the sustainable transformation of rice farming methods in the Mekong Delta, aiming to increase the value of rice grains, improve farmers' income and living standards, adapt to climate change, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Immediately following the 2023 Prime Minister's Dialogue with Vietnamese Farmers Conference, ministries, central and local agencies proactively and comprehensively implemented tasks and solutions, reviewed and advised on amending and supplementing mechanisms and policies to remove difficulties and obstacles; creating favorable conditions, resources, and environment to encourage investment and support farmers in playing a leading and central role in agricultural development, rural economy , and building green, sustainable new rural production and business.

In particular, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has effectively implemented the Project "Sustainable Development of One Million Hectares of High-Quality, Low-Emission Rice Cultivation Linked to Green Growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030" (referred to as the One Million Hectare Rice Project).

Notably, Vietnam was the first country in the world to implement a large-scale program for reducing rice emissions, thus attracting significant attention from international partners. Pilot models have yielded very positive results, providing great encouragement to farmers and businesses.

A model for reducing rice emissions was piloted on a total area of ​​50 hectares at Tien Thuan Cooperative (Thanh An commune, Vinh Thanh district, Can Tho city) during the 2024 summer-autumn crop season. Photo: Huynh Xay

A renewed sense of enthusiasm and production momentum from the country's largest rice-growing region.

According to a report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry has so far established a Steering Committee for the Project, chaired by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, with one Deputy Minister as Vice-Chairman; five working groups; and members representing various ministries, agencies, the World Bank (WB), and leaders from 12 provinces in the Mekong Delta.

In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has also issued a plan and organized a conference to implement the project; organized the launching ceremony for the 1 million-hectare high-quality, low-emission specialized rice field; issued guidelines on criteria to encourage participation in the project; and developed a plan to enhance the capacity of partners participating in the project.

It can be said that, nearly a year after the Prime Minister's approval, the legal documents, technical procedures, and implementation guidelines for the 1 million hectare rice project have been issued relatively completely. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has also organized many meetings and workshops to solicit opinions on the procedures for measuring, reporting, and assessing MRV emissions; developed a draft Decree on the pilot mechanism for paying for emission reduction results and managing the financial aspects of the agreement on payment for greenhouse gas emission reduction results; developed a WB loan project to support the implementation of the project; and engaged in multilateral cooperation with international organizations and funds participating in the project (FAO, UNDP, WWF, WB, ADB, GEF, etc.).

Notably, to secure the resources for implementing the Project, as early as the end of 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development proposed the project "Support for infrastructure and technology for high-quality and low-emission rice in the Mekong Delta" to be financed by a World Bank loan worth US$430 million, including US$330 million in loan capital and US$100 million in counterpart funding, focusing on the 2026-2027 period.

In addition to direct funding, the State Bank of Vietnam has closely coordinated with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and relevant units to organize numerous meetings and discussions, and finalize the draft of the linked lending program to support businesses and cooperatives, which has been submitted to the Government for guidance.

Speaking about the results after nearly a year of implementing the Project, Mr. Tran Thanh Nam - Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: Seven pilot models have been implemented in five provinces and cities including Can Tho, Dong Thap, Kien Giang, Tra Vinh, and Soc Trang. Currently, most of the pilot models for the 2024 summer-autumn crop have been harvested, with very positive results.

Specifically, costs were reduced by 20-30% (over 50% reduction in seed quantity, over 30% reduction in nitrogen fertilizer, 2-3 fewer pesticide sprayings, and approximately 30-40% reduction in irrigation water); productivity increased by 10% (yield in the model reached 6.3-6.6 tons/ha compared to the control group's 5.7-6 tons/ha).

As a result, the model increases farmers' income by 20-25% (an additional profit of 4-7.6 million VND/ha compared to the control group), and reduces CO2 emissions by an average of 3-5 tons per hectare. All harvested rice is purchased by businesses at a price 200-300 VND/kg higher than the standard price.

Having just harvested 2 hectares of rice grown under the pilot model of the Project, farmer Quach Van Ut, a member of Phat Tai Agricultural Cooperative (Thanh My commune, Chau Thanh district, Tra Vinh province), is very pleased that this rice crop yielded 7 tons/ha, about 1 ton/ha higher than the previous summer-autumn crop. Meanwhile, the cost of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides decreased significantly, so he earned a considerable profit. With a selling price of 8,500 VND/kg of commercial rice, his family achieved a profit of over 45 million VND/ha, more than 5 million VND/ha higher than the profit in the same period last year.

Mr. Le Van Dong (far left), Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tra Vinh province, and members of Phuoc Hao Agricultural Cooperative survey and evaluate the summer-autumn rice crop produced under the 1 million hectare rice project. Photo: baotravinh

Phat Tai Agricultural Cooperative and Phuoc Hao Agricultural Cooperative are two of the seven units selected by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to implement the pilot model of the 1 million hectare rice project in Tra Vinh province.

After visiting two rice cultivation models under the Project, Mr. Kien Tam, a member of Viet Thanh Cooperative in Hoa An commune, Cau Ke district (Tra Vinh province), was very excited and enthusiastic about the significant benefits the models yielded. Mr. Tam stated that in the recent summer-autumn rice crop, Viet Thanh Cooperative achieved a profit of approximately 23-25 ​​million VND/ha. With the model cultivation process from the two cooperatives in the Project, if the members of Viet Thanh Cooperative (172ha/211 members) apply it to the 2024 autumn-winter crop, the additional production value will be substantial (6-7 million VND/ha). Furthermore, the application of advanced techniques like those in the models will help farmers and cooperative members protect the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr. Le Van Dong, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tra Vinh province, said: The province has registered over 800 hectares for autumn-winter rice production under the Project. Thus, with the cultivation process under the Project, cooperative members and farmers will gain an additional value of over 5 billion VND thanks to cost savings, such as a reduction in seed quantity from 90-100 kg/ha compared to traditional production; only 2 pesticide applications per season; and a reduction of about 30% in chemical fertilizer use...

Representing one of the units participating in the pilot model at Tien Thuan Cooperative (Can Tho City), Mr. Phan Van Tam - Deputy General Director of Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company, said that the model uses very low input costs, so farmers can earn more profit. In particular, it significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions by removing straw from the fields, burying fertilizer, and combining it with alternating wet and dry irrigation.

To scale up the model, Mr. Tam suggested that media outlets should promote accurate information so that farmers have the necessary support and cooperation. "Currently, the farming techniques are basically complete; all that's needed is farmers' cooperation to make the model easier to implement. Next, strong participation from large and capable businesses is crucial for the project to progress quickly and sustainably," Mr. Tam added.

The low-emission rice farming model at Tien Thuan Cooperative (Can Tho) uses certified rice seeds, machine sowing combined with fertilization, alternating wet and dry irrigation, specialized zone fertilization (SSNM), integrated pest management (IPM), machine harvesting, and straw collection from the field for straw mushroom cultivation or organic fertilizer. In the summer-autumn crop, rice yields reached 6.3 - 6.5 tons/ha, helping to reduce emissions by 2-6 tons CO2e/ha compared to the control plot. Photo: Huynh Xay

With the promising initial results of the pilot models, and with the enthusiasm and support of many farmers and rice-growing cooperatives in the region, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has agreed with localities to continue expanding sustainable rice cultivation models that reduce emissions throughout all 12 provinces of the Mekong Delta and apply them immediately in the 2024 autumn-winter and 2024-2025 winter-spring seasons.

In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued a plan to enhance the capacity of partners, with approximately 620 agricultural cooperatives developing value chain linkages and nearly 200,000 farming households in the region implementing the Project.

Establish a fund to support the implementation of the 1 million hectare rice project.

Besides the positive results achieved, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also reported to the Prime Minister on several issues to address the difficulties and obstacles of the Project. Because Vietnam is the first country to implement a large-scale program for reducing rice emissions, the activities and content are new, with no precedent for reference in terms of policy mechanisms, implementation methods, organization, and resource mobilization. There are also differing opinions on the necessity and effectiveness of the Project, and many farmers are not yet enthusiastic about participating...

At the conference on solutions to promote the implementation of the 1 million hectare rice project, held on the afternoon of October 15th in Can Tho, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan stated that the ultimate goal of the project is to help people reduce input costs, increase income at harvest, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, achieving these results will require a very long time.

Besides the support from central ministries and the impact of policies, according to Mr. Hoan, greater proactiveness from localities in the Mekong Delta region is also crucial. Mr. Hoan also stated that the ongoing 1 million hectare rice project is the starting point for future emission reduction projects in other areas of the agricultural sector.

Presiding over the conference to implement the 1 million hectare rice project in Can Tho on October 15th, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that we must "breathe new life" and vitality into the agricultural sector, especially the rice industry, in the Mekong Delta, the country's largest agricultural production region. (Photo: Huynh Xay)

Presiding over this conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh acknowledged the efforts of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the 12 localities in the Mekong Delta region in implementing the Project and achieving some initial results. The Prime Minister emphasized that this Project is extremely significant for farmers in the Mekong Delta, for the rice industry, and for the task of responding to climate change, aiming for safety against natural disasters, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and bringing net emissions to "zero" in accordance with Vietnam's commitments at COP26.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed the establishment of a fund to support 1 million hectares of rice cultivation, ensuring immediate budget allocation for 2025. This fund will include state capital, carbon credit sales, partner support, and socialized capital. The purpose of establishing the fund is to provide a readily available source of capital, eliminating the need for lengthy procedures.

Regarding planning, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Planning and Investment, and local authorities must conduct research to ensure that the raw material areas are sustainable and stable. During implementation, the entire political system must be mobilized, and science and technology must be introduced into the raw material areas to produce high-quality rice, aiming for world-renowned brands.

"The project to cultivate 1 million hectares of high-quality rice is based on the principle that what is said must be done, and what is done must yield results..." - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized.

According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam produces approximately 43-45 million tons of paddy rice annually, equivalent to 26-28 million tons of milled rice. Of this, the Mekong Delta is Vietnam's main rice granary, with a stable paddy rice production of around 24-25 million tons in recent years, accounting for over 50% of the country's total paddy rice production and contributing over 90% of the country's rice exports.

In 2023, in addition to meeting domestic consumption needs, Vietnam exported 8.1 million tons of rice, earning 4.6 billion USD.

Source: https://danviet.vn/nhung-doi-thay-sau-hoi-nghi-thu-tuong-doi-thoai-voi-nong-dan-2023-niem-vui-tu-de-an-1-trieu-ha-lua-bai-3-20241027011237758.htm