Rice seed production in Yen Thanh increases value by 15%

Production of high quality rice varieties

Every year, the amount of food produced by the “Yen Thanh rice granary” is very large. Faced with the situation of “good harvest, low price” for rice growers, in recent years, the government and people of the district have boldly changed the structure of rice varieties, specifically introducing high-quality rice varieties into production, which has initially brought about results.
Ms. Tran Thi Minh in Phan Thanh hamlet, Long Thanh commune (Yen Thanh) said: In the spring crop of 2019, her family planted 5 sao of high-quality rice. At harvest time, businesses came to the fields to buy at 6,000 VND/kg, earning 3 million VND/sao. The whole Long Thanh commune has 350 hectares of rice, initially producing over 50 hectares of high-quality QJ1 rice.

Through the first production crop, it has been shown that the rice variety has a growing period of 130 - 135 days, develops well, is resistant to cold and some harmful pests, and has a yield of 7.5 - 8 tons/ha. Fresh rice after harvest is purchased entirely by TH Group at the field at a price of 6,000 VND/kg. This spring crop, the commune plans to mobilize people to plant high-quality rice on over 200 hectares to increase economic value.

Harvesting rice in the fields of Xuan Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Representatives of Van Thanh Rural Development Agricultural Cooperative shared: People participating in high-quality rice production enjoy policy mechanisms such as support of 200,000 VND/sao (provincial policy), agricultural cooperatives support technical aspects, purchase rice products in the field, economic value increased by over 15% compared to hybrid rice. Some households have boldly increased the area of ​​high-quality rice such as Mr. Cao Xuan Thang's household producing 4 hectares of high-quality rice, reaching 4 quintals/sao/crop. According to the plan for this year's winter-spring crop, Van Thanh commune will increase the area of ​​high-quality rice by 100/320 hectares of rice to increase the value per unit area.
Mr. Nguyen Van Duong - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Yen Thanh district added: Clean rice production according to VietGAP process has been applied by farmers in the district since the 2018 winter-spring crop. Every year, the district cultivates over 12,000 hectares of rice, of which only over 1,000 hectares of high-quality rice have been applied.

Workshop to evaluate the QJ1 commercial rice production linkage model in Yen Thanh. Photo: Document - Thai Hong

In 2020, TH Group will put into operation a large-scale rice processing factory line, Yen Thanh district will expand the area from 5,000 - 6,000 hectares of high-quality rice concentrated in 12 communes. TH Group will supply seeds and biological products for seed treatment, provide scientific and technical guidance to farmers, and commit to purchasing all fresh rice in the field, ensuring safety after harvest.

Rice of this variety is the raw material for processing TH branded products such as: Rice milk, candy and high quality commercial rice for domestic and export purposes. Through research, high quality rice is easy to consume and the selling price is 1,000 - 1,500 VND/kg higher than normal rice. Based on these orientations, Yen Thanh will gradually reduce the area of ​​low-yield, poor-quality rice and gradually increase the hybrid and purebred rice varieties with good quality.

Increase production value from linkage

In addition to producing high-quality rice varieties, Yen Thanh district also focuses on expanding linkages in rice seed production. Mr. Nguyen Minh Chien - Lien Tri hamlet, Lien Thanh commune shared: His family has 6 sao of rice fields, all of which produce rice seeds, with 2 types of rice varieties: Bac Thom No. 7 and Khang Dan 18. One sao of rice seeds has an income of over 3.2 - 3.6 million VND, the value is nearly 1.5 times higher than that of normal rice. Rice seed production is purchased by companies immediately after harvest. In addition, the company's technical staff has increased their visits to the base to guide farmers on strict production processes from planting, care, and harvesting, so seed producers are very assured.

Vinh Thanh Commune, Yen Thanh District grows high-quality seedlings. Photo: Van Truong

Mr. Dang Ngoc Cong - Chairman of Lien Thanh Commune People's Committee added: Since converting the land, the commune has planned 180/425 hectares of rice seeds. Lien Thanh Service Cooperative has signed contracts with 4 reputable companies to purchase for members. Since 2017, the Cooperative has implemented the project "Application of scientific and technological advances to build a model of rice seed production fields". Project summary shows that the average rice yield is from 75 - 78 quintals/ha. Every year, the above companies have purchased 500 tons of rice seeds of all kinds for the people, worth over 4 billion VND.

Up to now, Lien Thanh Service Cooperative has attracted over 10 billion VND from capital sources to build warehouses, drying ovens, and brand logos. Lien Thanh strives to develop over 200 hectares of rice seeds by 2022, contributing to increasing people's income.

Producing high-quality rice seeds in Hoa Thanh commune (Yen Thanh). Photo: Van Truong

As for rice seeds, the enterprises purchase at a price 10-15% higher than normal rice. Therefore, when participating in rice seed cultivation, farmers not only benefit economically but also use good quality original rice seeds to produce cultivated varieties with high disease resistance. Many farmers also have access to new technical advances in the fields, after being regularly inspected and instructed by enterprise staff.

Regarding policy mechanisms, the district supports farmers in transferring scientific and technological advances, supporting fertilizers and seeds for rice seed models, and investing in infrastructure for seed production areas. To develop in a sustainable direction, in April 2017, the People's Committee of Yen Thanh district was approved by the province to establish an agricultural development plan associated with the New Rural Development Program and the agricultural sector structure from now until 2050. Thereby, for seed production, the district strives to expand the seed area by 700 - 800 hectares this spring crop.

It can be affirmed that the association of high-quality rice production and commercial rice varieties is really a very effective direction, increasing economic value for farmers. With this development momentum, Yen Thanh is striving to achieve the goal of developing rice in the direction of large-scale commodities, in which enterprises play a key role in product consumption.