Farmer Phan Van Hoa and the precious rice variety.
(Baonghean)News of farmer Phan Van Hoa's creation of the purple VH1 herbal rice variety spread throughout the country. Saigon Marketing newspaper organized an online discussion about the purple VH1 rice variety and invited the "creator" of this new variety to participate. Following this, Mr. Hoa was continuously busy with meetings, exchanges, contract signings, and collaborative programs to transfer technology and supply this new rice variety to many localities nationwide...
After more than 10 years in the military, in 1984, Company Political Commissar Phan Van Hoa returned to his hometown. Thanks to the household contract system, he applied to the People's Committee to receive 5 hectares of the barren Hoi Sac swamp. He raised fish and grew rice, earning hundreds of millions of dong each harvest. At that time, hybrid rice varieties were not yet popular, so each harvest required spending millions of dong on seeds. It was expensive and he lacked control; sometimes he bought inferior seeds, rendering his efforts fruitless.
A question arose in farmer Phan Van Hoa's mind: Why can't I produce a pure, high-quality rice variety to replace imported hybrid varieties? This question haunted him.
Then, in 2001, to have the legal standing to implement his idea, Mr. Hoa wrote a proposal to establish a company. During his journey to find purebred rice varieties, he was fortunate to meet Professor Vu Tuyen Hoang. Impressed by the ambitious farmer, the leading professor took him to the Institute of Food Crops and gave him five rice varieties to test.
Of the five varieties, only AC5 was suitable for the soil conditions of Nghe An province, and therefore thrived. Starting with 100 grams of seeds, he persistently conducted trials. By 2005, with sufficient seed supply, he encouraged the people of Hoa Thanh commune to cultivate it. The results were excellent; that year, the entire Hoa Thanh commune had a bumper crop, with an average yield of 7.2 tons/hectare/season. The rice quality far surpassed hybrid rice and was well-received by the market. The AC5 rice variety became the preferred choice for farmers in other localities. The cultivated area continuously increased. From 4,000 hectares in 2009 to nearly 100,000 hectares in 2013.
The AC5 rice variety has become one of the local main varieties. Currently, Vinh Hoa Company has purchased the copyright for the AC5 rice variety from the Institute of Food Crops at a cost of 500 million VND.
Following the success of the AC5 rice variety, Mr. Hoa harbored the ambition to find a rice variety that would not only be highly productive but also possess medicinal properties beneficial to health. To realize this new idea, he decided to go to Hanoi to attend an agricultural university course. Upon returning, armed with the knowledge he had gained, he quietly worked, sometimes in the laboratory, sometimes in the fields, to select a new variety.
From 2005, day after day, he alternated between crossbreeding and supplementing the plants with nutrients. Then, one day, two "unusual" purple rice ears appeared in his experimental crop, distinctly different from the surrounding ones. He cherished nearly 400 of these "unusual" rice grains like precious gems.
Mr. Pham Van Hoa with the new VH1 rice variety.
Vinh Hoa herbal rice has been tested and certified by the Center for Technical Standards and Quality Measurement (Quatesv1) under the General Department of Standards, Metrology and Quality of Vietnam, and the National Institute of Food Safety and Hygiene Testing (Ministry of Health). It is a type of rice rich in micronutrients, trace elements, and vitamins A, B (B1, B2, B6…), lipids, calcium, iron, fiber, and especially omega (6-9) oryzanol… Eating rice from Vinh Hoa herbal rice helps to suppress hunger, which is beneficial for those on a diet. Vitamins, iron, and zinc have a blood-boosting effect, good for people recovering from illness, infants, people with blood loss from injuries, pregnant women and postpartum women… Herbal rice is rich in plant-based fats and contains cholesterol, which is very good for cardiovascular health. |
The main characteristic of this rice variety is that both the plant and the grains are a beautiful Hue purple color, with pink grains and an attractive appearance. It yields high productivity and can be grown in all terrains. The outstanding feature of this new rice variety is its delicious aroma. It has a high content of micronutrients, especially omega-6 and omega-9, which are not found in all rice varieties. These two substances have anti-aging, anti-cancer, and anti-osteoporosis effects, and when consumed, they suppress hunger, which is very beneficial for overweight individuals. Because of these characteristics, the rice variety is classified as a medicinal rice variety. Currently, the National Center for Plant Variety and Fertilizer Testing has recognized VH1 as a super-primitive variety.
Sharing with us, Mr. Hoa said: "Based on information from the press, people in the southern provinces have sought out Vinh Hoa Company to buy VH1 rice. To date, the company has delivered more than 20 tons to customers in the southern provinces. Seeing the effectiveness of this type of rice, and to help consumers better understand the value of rice grains in terms of cuisine and health, Saigon Marketing Newspaper and the Rice Restaurant organized an online Q&A session. 'As the main character of the Q&A session, with hundreds of guests, I was very nervous at first. But I decided to speak honestly, so I answered the questions from the guests and consumers very convincingly and impressively,' Mr. Hoa confided. After the Q&A session, Mr. Hoa also went to An Giang to discuss plans to transfer the VH rice cultivation technique and supply it to the southern market..."
Farmer Phan Van Hoa has successfully developed the VH1 rice variety with rare and valuable characteristics, a welcome achievement. To expand and maximize the effectiveness of this variety, scientists need to step in to select and breed rice varieties with high purity and sustainability, increasing the content of valuable micronutrients in the rice grains. If this is achieved, the VH1 medicinal rice variety will become an export product that will enrich the country. |
Mr. Tuan
