Farmers harvest rice in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang. The province is among the three largest rice-producing areas in Việt Nam. — VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạ

MEKONG DELTA — Eight Vietnamese rice enterprises have been awarded AUD200,000 (approximately VNĐ3.16 billion) for their efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in rice production.

More than 27,000 tonnes of carbon emissions were saved by the companies, during the recent summer-autumn rice season, as the result of a project that supports the transformation of the rice value chain in the Mekong Delta – known as TRVC – supported by the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV).

The Vietnam Rice Company (Vinarice), one of the participants in the project, saw its emissions fall by a total of 4,226 tonnes across 997 hectares, equivalent to an average reduction of 4.1 tonnes per hectare.

Vinarice CEO Trần Trương Tấn Tài said: "We will allocate the money from the award to farmers to improve their farming skills, provide support to female farmers, those with disabilities and offer additional subsidies to others."

The TRVC project has been implemented in An Giang, Kiên Giang and Đồng Tháp provinces, the three largest rice-producing areas in Việt Nam.

According to a report on the project’s initial results, released on December 30, 2024, the economic efficiency and average profits for farmers reached 64 per cent in Đồng Tháp, 56 per cent in An Giang and 54 per cent in Kiên Giang.

The results significantly contribute to efforts to transition to a low-emission rice production system and develop one million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation by 2030, a project approved by the Prime Minister in 2023.

The TRVC project will run until 2027, aiming to support ten enterprises linked to around 200,000 smallholder farmers and 50-60 cooperatives in the three provinces to develop 200,000 hectares of low-emission rice. — VNS