Delegates at a conference on “Promoting Rice Value Chain Linkages, Contributing to the Implementation of the one-Million-Hectare High-Quality Rice Project” in Hậu Giang Province on October 25.— Photo courtesy of haugiang.dcs.vn

HẬU GIANG — Enhancing linkages among stakeholders in the rice value chain is essential to improve product quality and support the implementation of the one-million-hectare high-quality rice project in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta, speakers agreed at a conference held in Hậu Giang Province on October 25.

The Government approved late last year the farming project to grow high-quality, low-emission rice to achieve green growth.

Hậu Giang was chose by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as the site for the project.

Speaking at the conference on “Promoting Rice Value Chain Linkages, Contributing to the Implementation of the one-Million-Hectare High-Quality Rice Project,” Trương Cảnh Tuyên, permanent vice chairman of the Hậu Giang People's Committee, said that of the province’s 170,000ha of rice paddies, 25,000ha are part of the value chain.

The province aims to have 28,000ha involved in the high-quality rice project by 2025 and 46,000ha by 2030, he said.

It has completed identification of the regions participating in the project, ensuring compliance with all criteria and aligned with its own planning, he said.

The province tried pilot models on 180ha at some cooperatives this year, with positive outcomes, he said.

These models help farmers adopt new practices, creating quality-assured products that meet market requirements, safeguard the health of farmers and consumers, and protect the environment, he added.

Speakers at the conference pointed to the dearth of linkages in the rice value chain.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s department of economic cooperation and rural development, 180 companies are qualified for rice export licences in the delta, but only 50 are in the value chain and buy rice  from only 26 per cent of the total farming area.

Only a few companies have invested in developing their material areas, it said.

It attributed this to companies' lack of resources and the small scale of most farmers, which makes mechanisation and adopting technical advancements difficult.

Attendees agreed that promoting linkages in the rice value chain and contributing to the one-million-hectare project requires gradually eliminating unsustainable rice purchasing practices and encouraging linkages among production, harvest, preservation and processing to enhance quality and meet market requirements.

They also emphasised the need to implement coordinated solutions to reduce production costs and improve efficiency, thus enhancing incomes and the quality of life for farmers. — VNS