Localities and ministries need to soon complete the project of one million hectares of high-quality rice so that each year there will be 14-15 million tons of rice, equivalent to 9-10 million tons of rice, according to Government leaders.
“We only talk about doing things, not talking about going back. We must speed up the breakthrough and be more drastic so that the project of one million hectares of high-quality rice will reach the finish line soon,” Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said at a working session on promotion solutions. Deploying the project of one million hectares of high quality rice, in Can Tho City, on the afternoon of October 15.
Project Sustainable development of one million hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030approved by the Prime Minister at the end of 2023. 12 provinces participating in low-emission rice cultivation include An Giang, Kien Giang, Dong Thap, Long An, Soc Trang, Can Tho, Bac Lieu, Tra Vinh, Hau Giang, Ca Mau , Tien Giang, Vinh Long.
The project aims to form one million hectares of high-quality, low-carbon rice cultivation associated with green growth. The program also sets a goal of reducing input costs by 30%, contributing to reducing rice production costs for farmer households by about 9,500 billion VND; Rice growers’ profit margin increased by 50%; contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 10%.
Currently, each year the Mekong Delta provinces produce 24-25 million tons of rice, accounting for more than 50% of rice output and over 90% of the country’s rice exports.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh spoke at the conference on the project of one million hectares of high quality rice on the afternoon of October 15. Image: VGP
According to Government leaders, this is a very meaningful project for farmers in the Mekong Delta, for the rice industry and for the task of responding to climate change, aiming for safety before natural disasters, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, bringing net emissions to “zero” by 2050 in accordance with Vietnam’s commitment.
With the trend of “eating deliciously, eating cleanly” and huge competition, the Prime Minister said that it is necessary to “breathe new vitality” into the agriculture and rice industry in the Mekong Delta – the country’s largest agricultural production region. . He highly appreciated the Western localities and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the past year for implementing pilot project models with practical results and solutions to promote development.
For the project to be successful, the Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, relevant ministries, branches and localities to soon plan high-quality, stable rice production; have good and effective production processes; Building a high-quality, high-segment rice brand in the region and the world. At the same time, units need to promote the application of science and technology in production, develop connections between businesses and localities, farmers… for large-scale production and consumption.
Government leaders also requested to remove the cumbersome grant application mechanism and quickly develop a policy to mobilize capital to serve the development of transport and irrigation infrastructure to implement the project. The banking industry is required to soon have a preferential credit package for the rice industry. As for localities, they must be self-reliant and demonstrate practical benefits to mobilize farmers to actively participate in the project…
Harvesting rice at a pilot model in Vinh Thanh district, Can Tho city. Image: An Binh
Previously, reporting at the working session, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam said that up to now, the unit has cooperated with localities and the International Rice Research Institute to organize and deploy 7 pilot models. points in 5 provinces: Can Tho, Dong Thap, Kien Giang, Tra Vinh, Soc Trang.
Currently, 4 out of 7 pilot models in the Summer – Fall 2024 crop have reported very positive results, reducing production costs by 20-30%. In particular, reduce the amount of seeds by more than 50%, reduce the amount of nitrogen fertilizer by more than 30%, and reduce 2-3 times of spraying plant protection chemicals; At the same time, reduce the amount of irrigation water by about 30-40%.
Rice productivity in pilot models reached 6.3-6.6 tons per hectare, an increase of 10% compared to control rice fields (5.7-6 tons per hectare). Profits increased by 4-7.6 million VND and reduced an average of 5-6 tons of CO2 equivalent per hectare of pilot rice.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has coordinated with localities and experts from the World Bank and the International Rice Institute to build a system of measuring, reporting, and verifying emissions (MRV) in accordance with the requirements of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. international standards, to have a scientific basis, apply measurements to the entire area participating in the project. This agency has also agreed on a policy with localities to continue replicating the sustainable farming model, reducing emissions across all 12 provinces and cities and applying it immediately in the Fall – Winter 2024 and Winter – Spring 2024 crops. 2025.
Regarding infrastructure improvement to serve the project, in the immediate future, for the irrigation sector, more than 1,920 km of canals in the rice production area need to be dredged; New construction and upgrading of more than 1,620 km of closed dikes combined with the circulation of agricultural goods and materials; Build 724 open sewers for irrigation and drainage and invest in 43 new water regulation works.
To soon mobilize investment capital for the program, by the end of 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has developed a project proposal for infrastructure and technical support for high-quality and low-emission rice in the Mekong Delta. World Bank capital, worth 430 million USD. Of which, 330 million USD in preferential loans and 100 million USD in counterpart capital are intended to focus investment resources for the period 2026-2027…
At the meeting, representatives of provincial leaders in the region also said that the pilot model was highly effective and farmers were very excited. Localities have developed plans, production areas, and roadmaps for implementing this program. However, the biggest difficulty today is the need to soon allocate investment capital for synchronous irrigation and transport infrastructure, human resources to implement the project are still limited…
An Binh