The Prime Minister outlined five directions to create a "revolution for rice cultivation".

On the afternoon of October 15th, in Can Tho , Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a conference to implement the project "Sustainable development of one million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030".

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivered a speech at the conference.

Increased productivity leads to increased farmers' income.

In his opening remarks, the Prime Minister analyzed and emphasized the position, role, importance, unique potential, outstanding opportunities, and competitive advantages of the Mekong Delta. The Prime Minister affirmed that the Mekong Delta has many advantages for agricultural development, especially in the rice and seafood industries.

According to the Prime Minister, rice production not only plays a vital role in ensuring national food security and social stability, but also serves as an important source of income for tens of millions of Vietnamese farming households. This, in turn, promotes exports, contributes to global food security, and enhances Vietnam's position and prestige in the international arena.

Harvesting rice in the pilot field of the One Million Hectare High-Quality Rice Project in Soc Trang.

Reporting at the conference, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam said that in the past period, the Ministry, together with localities and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), has implemented 7 pilot models in 5 provinces and cities including: Can Tho, Dong Thap, Kien Giang, Tra Vinh, and Soc Trang.

Currently, 4 out of 7 pilot models for the Summer-Autumn crop of 2024 have reported very positive results. Specifically, costs have been reduced by 20-30%; an average reduction of 5-6 tons of CO2e per hectare has been achieved, and the harvested rice yield is guaranteed to be purchased by businesses at a price 200-300 VND/kg higher.

Furthermore, the pilot results showed a 10% increase in rice yield, leading to a 20-25% increase in farmers' income.

At the conference, leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development proposed that the Prime Minister approve the principle of finalizing the pilot policy dossier for a program to support infrastructure and technology for high-quality rice in the Mekong Delta using preferential loans from the World Bank, estimated at approximately 330 million USD; and direct the State Bank of Vietnam to instruct commercial banks to prioritize allocating credit packages for the Project, to be implemented immediately in the 2025-2027 period.

The Prime Minister called for a faster and more decisive approach to achieve the target of one million hectares of high-quality rice cultivation as soon as possible.

5 orientations, 11 specific solutions

In his concluding remarks, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh acknowledged and highly appreciated the content of the report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the heartfelt, responsible, and practical opinions expressed.

The Prime Minister outlined five key guiding issues and eleven specific tasks and solutions to accelerate the implementation of the Project in the coming period.

Emphasizing five key strategic issues, the Prime Minister requested that "life be breathed into rice plants, new vitality be given to the rice industry" through digital technology, green development, circular economy, sharing economy, knowledge economy, application of science and technology, and innovation.

"We must cherish rice as much as we cherish ourselves, as much as we cherish most in our lives, thereby creating a revolution for rice cultivation and the Mekong Delta," the Prime Minister said.

In addition, it is necessary to mobilize and diversify resources, including resources from the central and local governments, public-private partnerships, loans, bond issuance, socialized capital, and resources from the people and businesses.

At the same time, it is necessary to use resources effectively, eliminate bureaucratic mechanisms, subsidies, and cumbersome procedures, and ensure that resources reach local areas, production facilities, and farmers.

Regarding the objectives, the Prime Minister requested a more accelerated and breakthrough approach to achieve the target of one million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice as soon as possible, thereby achieving approximately 14-15 million tons of paddy rice and 9-10 million tons of high-quality milled rice. This target must be achieved by 2030 at the latest, and efforts should be made to achieve it even sooner.

The Prime Minister outlined 11 specific tasks and solutions, including: planning stable and long-term raw material areas for the development of high-quality, low-emission rice; applying science and technology, building rice brands in the high-quality segment, along with geographical indications, traceability, and planting area codes; developing preferential mechanisms and policies, proposing them to competent authorities, and initially striving to present some policies at the upcoming National Assembly session, with the spirit of "addressing obstacles wherever they arise".

Regarding funding, the banking sector will continue to implement existing credit packages and research the possibility of implementing a credit package of approximately 30,000 billion VND for the Project in 2025; simultaneously providing loans to businesses for purchasing materials, seeds, and for production and business activities.

On November 27, 2023, the Prime Minister approved the project to cultivate one million hectares of rice, a project of significant importance in guiding the sustainable transformation of rice farming methods in the Mekong Delta. This will increase the value of Vietnam's rice industry, improve farmers' income and living standards, adapt to climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and contribute to fulfilling Vietnam's international commitments.

The one million hectare rice project is divided into two phases. Phase 1 (2024-2025) focuses on developing 200,000 hectares. Phase 2 (2026-2030) will expand to an additional 800,000 hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/thu-tuong-neu-5-dinh-huong-de-tao-cuoc-cach-mang-cho-cay-lua-192241015181829514.htm