The joy of "Japonica" on Muong Que

(Baonghean) - These days, throughout Muong Noc, Chau Kim, Tien Phong, Tri Le... of Que Phong district, almost every house is filled with the fragrant aroma of new rice. Rumors about the delicious flavor of this cold-resistant, drought-resistant rice have reached even the most remote areas of the district, making every household want to buy it to cook a new pot of rice to celebrate the harvest with this delicious product that has "taken root in the land and loved people" early. And we, setting foot on the land that has long been famous for its cinnamon scent, were immersed in the story of a new product that is making the cadres and villagers here extremely excited...

Good rice harvest in Tri Le commune (Que Phong). Photo: Nguyen Son

“In the past, our village used to drink wine with jars and pots, but it was not enough. In recent years, just one small jar (50 cents) has been enough for the whole village to drink without getting bored. There is no need, they can’t earn money at home so they all go to work for hire. But this year, there is a new rice variety, so the old people have to call them back to work. Planting new rice plants will bring a lot of rice, delicious rice, and sell for a high price. This year, in the “lam pang” (new rice offering) ceremony, we will have to drink wine from jars and pots again...” - Mr. Luong Van Trung, Head of Choi village, Chau Kim commune (Que Phong) excitedly said. There is no longer the sound of gongs and cymbals according to the old custom in the new rice offering ceremony, but the new rice offering to the ancestors of this year’s crop is bustling with voices and laughter, the village calls out to each other to meet for close, intimate parties. That atmosphere is thanks to the "Muong Que" land having a new product that not only contributes to improving economic life, but also affects customs and habits, promising to create quiet but intense movements in the life of this highland region, that product is a new type of rice called Japonica...

In the fields of Muong Noc, looking at the golden rice clumps with thick grains, Kim Thi Hau's eyes were filled with the joy of the harvest season. Hau was even happier when she saw that her decision to return to her hometown was completely correct. Business was difficult, so she listened to people's invitations and went with her husband, Lo Van Duc (Chau Kim), to Guangxi (China) as an "illegal export" to find work. From January to May this year, in a foreign land, earning money was not a happy thing. Not knowing the language, having no papers, happiness and suffering, life and death were left in the hands of the owner. Receiving news from her family that this season, the whole Muong Noc region would plant a new rice variety and needed to be busy investing effort, applying many technical advances to achieve high productivity and efficiency, and young people had to come back to work.

So from June, she returned to the fields with the villagers to work on the new Japonica rice variety. Now that it is harvest time, the threshed rice is sold right at the foot of the field for 10,000 - 12,000 VND/kg, the yield is not inferior to other hybrid rice and pure rice varieties, while other hybrid rice and pure rice varieties are sold for only 6,000 VND/kg of dry rice but are still difficult to sell. Ms. Hau's family grows more than 3 sao, the money to buy seeds and fertilizers is supported by the State, only spending effort, but earning nearly 11 million VND. Along with raising livestock and growing crops, Ms. Hau's family's livelihood is now clear. She said she has called her husband, Mr. Lo Van Duc, who is working far away to come back so that next season they can plant more new rice varieties and take better care of them. It is known that in the village, there are 2 other people who also work "illegally" in China and have just been persuaded by their families to return to prepare for the winter-spring crop!

Que Phong district officials inspect the Japonica rice harvest.

Mr. Nguyen Canh Dat, an officer of the Department of Agriculture of Que Phong District People's Committee, told us: After 3 years of successful testing, the 2014 crop expanded to an area of ​​100 hectares, concentrated in Muong Noc, Chau Kim, Tien Phong, Tri Le and scattered in some other communes. The notable point is that although the weather this crop was not as favorable as the winter-spring crop, all 100 hectares had a good harvest, with an average yield of 6 tons/ha. And these days, the cooperatives are having a hard time purchasing because many traders come to buy at the field. There has never been such a strange phenomenon for new crop rice like this year, at the field, the supply is not enough to meet the demand!

Talking to us, Mr. Lo Hung Cuong - Deputy Head of the Department of Industry and Trade of Que Phong district said that the story of Japonica rice variety with Que Phong land is no different from a "daytime fairy tale". Mr. Cuong confided: For a long time, we have been looking for many ways to escape poverty for the mountainous areas, how to both enrich the economy, preserve identity, preserve and develop customs and practices, and many plant varieties have been introduced, and people have been encouraged to produce, but when the new varieties have good yield and quality, they are still very difficult to sell, low prices, traders force down prices, the harvest piles up, and officials have difficulty talking to the people.

The lessons of the bumpy journey of Tam Hoa plum trees, sugarcane trees, or brocade products of some other places are still evident. As for Japonica rice, the prospects are promising, because who doesn't eat rice every day, and who doesn't want to eat delicious rice. Confident after 3 years of experimenting and developing rice varieties on a large scale, affirming the quality of delicious rice, at the Nghe An Agricultural and Trade Fair 2014 held in Vinh City from June 19-26, Que Phong introduced Japonica rice as a new local commercial agricultural product. Mr. Cuong recalled: "At the fair, when customers came to buy rice, the next day they came back to praise it and asked to buy it to eat every day. The people in the group joked with each other, "Japonica" is no longer a beautiful girl who only hangs around the mountains, now she can "marry far away"!".

Que Phong people harvest the winter rice crop

Searching for the origin of this new product, we learned that the Japonica rice variety was brought back to Que Phong for testing in 2011. Concerned about the land that had not been exploited effectively, the leaders in charge of Que Phong district at that time, Mr. Tran Quoc Thanh - Secretary of the District Party Committee, Lu Dinh Thi - Chairman of the District People's Committee, shared their concerns with Prof. Dr. Do Nang Vinh - Deputy Director of the Institute of Agricultural Genetics. After a period of research, this scientist supported Que Phong district with 200 kg of Japonica rice variety along with its own technical process. This is a purebred rice variety of the Institute of Agricultural Genetics, researched and created based on the origin of the rice variety used mainly in Japan because of its beautiful grain shape, delicious rice quality, and rich nutrition. When hearing the presentation about the two outstanding characteristics of this rice variety: drought and cold resistance, the district leaders were as happy as if they had "struck gold", because Que Phong is a mountainous district, often experiencing drought, with temperatures in some areas dropping to 10-120C in the cold season.

Mr. Lu Dinh Thi (now Secretary of Que Phong District Party Committee) was very "interested" in talking to us about the "early days" of bringing new rice varieties to the district. In 2011, 200 kg of seeds were brought to 3 households in Tri Le to plant on an area of ​​2,000 m2, but only 2 households were successful, and 1 household failed due to incorrect procedures. That year, on the harvest day, the district organized a field conference to evaluate the direction of Japonica rice for all chairmen and vice chairmen of communes and towns in the district. Despite the severe cold, drought, and many other hybrid and pure rice varieties here had reduced yields, but Japonica rice still yielded an average of 6 tons/ha. What a surprise! At noon, the district organized a new rice meal for all the officials attending the conference, and the delicious aroma of the new rice "conquered" everyone.

Mr. Thi said, at that time, the problem was that in order to expand, it was necessary to meet the technical requirements. The key point when making this rice variety was to know the method of "breaking the dormancy" of cold-resistant rice varieties by soaking the seeds longer. If the normal variety is only soaked for 24 hours, the Japonica variety must be soaked for 72 hours. In the case of using continuous-season varieties, it must be soaked in a solution containing nitric acid to "break the dormancy", only then will the rice seeds sprout. After 3 years, from 200 kg of seeds on an area of ​​2,000 m2, the 2014 crop used up to 5,000 kg of seeds on an area of ​​100 hectares. This victory also marked a new step forward for the local people in applying science and technology to increase productivity per unit area. According to the wishes of the people, the district will direct the expansion of this new rice variety. Now, in every commune with rice growing area, people have requested support for Japonica rice varieties. In 2015, the district will direct the expansion of Japonica rice variety to about 600 hectares.

Going to Que Phong during the harvest season, every day we are invited by the villagers to "eat new rice", "eat visiting rice" with their families according to the harvest season custom and to welcome strangers to the mountain people. After a glass of wine and a tray of "lam pan" rice respectfully inviting ancestors, every family gathers warmly around the pot of new rice. The village is filled with the sounds of laughter and reunion, bustling with congratulations for the following seasons to continue to multiply that new joy.

Ngo Kien - Viet Long