Rice production efficiency of eight provinces in Mekong Delta improved

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), on March 25 in Tien Giang Province, held a conference to summarize the year 2020, implement the plan for 2021, and discuss solutions to speed up the progress of the Vietnam Sustainable Agricultural Transformation project (VnSat).

Up to now, the project has supported investment in 91 sub-projects, with a total capital of the International Development Association of VND581 billion. (Photo: SGGP)

Accordingly, the VnSat project has been deployed in eight provinces in the Mekong Delta to improve the efficiency of rice production. Mr. Nguyen Chi Thien, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Long An Province said that the province has carried out this project in five districts and towns, with the target of improving production efficiency for 20,000 hectares of rice. During that process, the province has conducted technology transfer and training for more than 13,000 households with more than 8,000 hectares. It has also trained more than 10,000 households, with an area of more than 6,000 hectares. The province has built three warehouses, nine rural roads, 11 pump stations, and 16 transformer substations. It has also supported 11 cooperatives with a total amount of about VND87 billion. After four years of implementing the project, the matter of improving the efficiency of rice cultivation is clearly shown, many cooperatives have been invested in production efficiency to adapt to climate change.

However, farmers are still used to small-scale production, and many newly established cooperatives are still weak in resources and management experience. Long An Province will continue to invest in cooperatives in accordance with the public investment law. It will deploy 11 sub-projects, build four pump stations to be proactive in irrigation, and upgrade eight ring dikes to ensure flood prevention. At the same time, it requires districts in the project to focus on encouraging farmers and continuing to implement the contents committed to the project, Mr. Thien said.

According to Mr. Le Quoc Doanh, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, in recent years, the rice industry in the Mekong Delta has encountered many difficulties, especially the recent three years of saltwater intrusion and drought, besides market difficulties and the pandemic. However, the results are respectful. This is the restructuring industry.

He said that he was very happy that in the process of improving productivity and quality, at the same time reducing costs to meet competitive needs, farmers enjoyed clear benefits. Moreover, pesticides and plant protection drugs were barely used, contributing to environmental protection.

In the coming time, he suggested that provinces should continue to replicate models. This is a bright spot for more efficient and sustainable rice production. At the same time, they should continue to develop towards improving quality and reducing costs. Localities should try to integrate these programs into the medium-term phase of the project, the MARD will support them to implementation. In addition, localities should try to approve, complete all categories, organize bidding online, and by capacity profiles effectively, so that all bidding packages end in June, then start the construction. During the process of construction, provinces should pay special attention to quality, management capacity, and operation, Mr. Le Quoc Doanh noted.

According to the report, in 2020, the project had positive impacts on the sustainable farming practices of households, basically completing the project objectives of changing farming practices by using high-quality and certified rice varieties in most cooperatives, reducing input costs, improving economic efficiency, contributing to the general change in rice production areas supported by the project.

Up to now, the project has supported investment in 91 sub-projects for cooperatives and cooperative groups, with a total capital of the International Development Association of VND581 billion. Of the sub-projects, 88 have been completed and are put into use, the remaining three sub-projects have not been completed in Kien Giang Province.