Honoring Outstanding Vietnamese Farmers 2013: Lack of Rice Growers

Kings without thrones

Just hearing the names and a few achievements, it is already admirable: "King of shrimp" of the Mekong Delta Vo Hong Ngoan; "King of pruning shears" of Tien Giang - Le Phuoc Loc; "King of seedless jackfruit" of Can Tho - Tran Minh Man... The invention of a mosquito catching machine that not only contributes to disease prevention for humans and livestock, but also has products for livestock farming by Mr. Tran Van Lia (Khanh Hoa); The invention of a hammer for blacksmiths of agricultural tools, increasing productivity dozens of times compared to hammering by hand by Ms. Tran Thi Hoe (Ba Ria - Vung Tau);

The multi-purpose plow is easy to use, even for children to plow, making buffaloes "unemployed" in the poor countryside of Dai Loc (Quang Nam) of farmer Luong Minh Dong.

Inventing a machine to spray pesticides and foliar fertilizers for rubber trees, spraying up to 25 meters high... and farms earning 80 billion VND/year in Thanh Hoa, 20 billion VND in Nghe An, 12 billion VND in Phu Tho, 10 billion VND in Ha Tinh, Thai Binh... sometimes only a household with an income of a few hundred million VND/year, but it is an admirable achievement of "the will not to accept poverty, both striving to enrich oneself legitimately for one's family, and caring and sharing with people in difficulty, in trouble, helping neighbors escape poverty.

Gathering outstanding farmers in the capital to honor them is a very commendable act by the organizers. “In this time of “chaos” in awards, organizing a playground for farmers like this is a good way, a commendable and commendable initiative… it has great significance in encouraging Vietnamese farmers to quickly innovate, access the market and choose competitive advantages in their ecological zones…”, Prof. Dr. Vo Tong Xuan, Principal of Tan Tao University (Long An) said about this program.

There is no "rice king" and the risk of unsustainability

Farming in our country today is indeed difficult, arduous, and risky. “Inputs are chaotic, outputs are unstable,” and natural disasters and climate change… cause the refrain of good harvests and low prices, planting and cutting to occur continuously, making farmers very vulnerable to failure and damage.

“Shrimp King” of Bac Lieu, Vo Hong Ngoan, had to exclaim: “Enterprises never lose input or output, but farmers in the middle are squeezed to the point of bulging their eyes. Sometimes the shrimp crop is successful but there is no profit, that is painful; and when the shrimp get sick and die, the business is ruined. If other jobs fail, we can still recover a little bit, but if aquaculture fails, we are left with nothing.”

Perhaps that is why old farmer Dang Van Hung in Tan Bien, Tay Ninh, cultivates 100 hectares of land, but divides it into 3 types: 40 hectares for rubber trees, 30 hectares for sugarcane, and the remaining 30 hectares for cassava. He said: "Doing this will never leave you empty-handed. If you lose something, you will gain something else in return."

I wonder why no good rice growers were included in the list of outstanding farmers in 2013? The fact that smart and qualified farmers did not choose rice as a means of getting rich speaks to the unsustainability not only of food security but also of agriculture in general.

Will always be with you

Speaking at the ceremony, President Truong Tan Sang affirmed: “Vietnamese farmers account for 70% of the population and 50% of the social labor force. They have made great contributions to the cause of building and defending the country. Recent reality shows that when the country faces difficulties and challenges, agriculture, rural areas and farmers are the most important sectors that help the country maintain stability, social security, and gradually overcome difficulties to move forward.”

The initiative to organize an annual celebration to honor farmers by Mr. Le Quoc Phong, General Director of Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company at the 6th National Congress of the Vietnam Farmers' Association last July was: "We must show gratitude to farmers, not only because they are the main driving force of the revolution but also because for fertilizer enterprises like us, they are customers", and was immediately supported by the Central Committee of the Vietnam Farmers' Association and the Central Propaganda Department.

According to (NNVN) - LC