With the successful pilot implementation of this model in the Mekong Delta, it will then be expanded nationwide, aiming to make "Green Development, Emission Reduction, High Quality" the hallmark of Vietnamese rice.
Repositioning Vietnamese rice branding
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Mekong Delta is Vietnam's primary rice-producing region, consistently yielding 24-25 million tonnes of rice annually, accounting for over 55% of the country's total rice production and 90% of its rice exports. Rice production plays a crucial role in providing stable employment and income for millions of farming households.
Despite the implementation of various advanced and environmentally friendly rice production programmes, projects, and models in the Mekong Delta, the region's rice industry still faces several limitations. With the approval of the project titled "Sustainable Development of One Million Hectares of High-Quality and Low-Emission Rice Cultivation Linked with Green Growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030" (referred to as the One Million Hectares of High-Quality Rice Project), which will be implemented in 12 out of 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta (excluding Ben Tre due to its limited rice-growing area), Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Lê Minh Hoan believes that this project represents a breakthrough in reorganising the rice industry. It aims to enhance added value throughout the supply chain, ensuring sustainable development in the face of increasingly complex climate change, contributing to green growth, and helping to protect the environment.
Minister Le Minh Hoan emphasised that changing the mindset of rice producers and businesses, fostering effective public-private partnerships, and receiving support from international organisations such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank will be key to the success of the project. “During the project's implementation, new policies will be piloted, such as result-based carbon credit payments; focusing on low-emission production linked with green growth; developing agricultural economics toward a circular economy, maximising the use of by-products from rice production; and exploiting multi-values to create various processed products from rice,” Minister Le Minh Hoan said.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the project will be implemented in two phases across 12 provinces and cities: An Giang, Kien Giang, Dong Thap, Long An, Soc Trang, Can Tho, Bac Lieu, Tra Vinh, Hau Giang, Ca Mau, Tien Giang, and Vinh Long, covering a total area of approximately 1 million hectares of specialised rice cultivation by 2030. The project began in the winter-spring crop of 2023-2024 with an initial participation area of about 180,000 hectares. One of the project's important goals is to ensure farmers' profits exceed 40% by 2025 and over 50% by 2030. This goal is considered entirely achievable through sustainable rice production.
The project also sets goals for 2025, including having 100% of the high-quality and low-emission specialised rice cultivation areas establish linkages between enterprises and cooperative groups, cooperatives, or farmers’ organisations for production and consumption; achieving over 50% mechanisation in cultivation; having more than 200,000 households adopt sustainable farming practices; reducing post-harvest losses to below 10%; collecting and processing 70% of straw in specialised cultivation areas for reuse; and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 10% compared to traditional rice farming practices.
Regarding this project, Cao Thang Binh, Senior expert at the World Bank (WB), stated that Vietnam is one of the top three rice-exporting countries globally. Vietnam is currently in a golden period to implement the Project on Planting One Million Hectares of High-Quality Rice and reposition low-carbon rice. This approach allows Vietnam to promote and reposition the Vietnamese rice brand, demonstrating the country's responsibility in rice production and enhancing Vietnam's global standing.
Binh roughly estimates that the project will yield significant economic benefits; If about 1 billion USD is used for investment in the entire programme, it could generate around 4 billion USD in returns. The substantial reduction in production costs, particularly a 30% decrease in fertiliser use, will be a major advantage for the country. Furthermore, by implementing the Project on One Million Hectares of High-Quality Rice Project, Vietnam will contribute to better environmental management in the Mekong Delta, leading to improvements in the socio-economic burden and public health.
Pham Thai Binh, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Trung An Hi-Tech Agriculture Joint Stock Company, added that the Project of Planting One Million Hectares of High-Quality Rice Project is a fundamental solution that benefits farmers, businesses, and society as a whole. "This project has been recognised by international organisations, with Vietnam as the first country in the world to undertake such a project,” he noted.
Synchronous measures and resources needed
To implement the Project on Planting One Million Hectares of High-Quality Rice, the deputy head of the Agricultural Projects Management Board under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development stated that approximately 2.7 billion USD would be needed from various sources by 2030. However, domestic resources are currently very limited, making it crucial and urgent to mobilise resources from international organisations as soon as possible.
Tran Thanh Nam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, emphasised that the Project on Planting One Million Hectares of High-Quality Rice is an initiative launched by the Government, requiring a comprehensive mechanism not just for one million hectares but also for expanding to 3.8 million hectares under the high-quality and low-emission rice programme. Nam outlined four key areas of focus for the project including irrigation systems, planning, transportation, and comprehensive mechanisation. He stressed the importance of the World Bank's loans to support the resources needed for this project. “The project on investment in infrastructure and technology for the 2026-2031 period relies on two sources of funding including World Bank loans and medium-term public investment funds. In addition, particular attention must be given to in-field irrigation systems, pumping stations, and local planning. Furthermore, intra-field transportation should be prioritised to reduce transportation costs and increase efficiency. The final critical issue is comprehensive mechanisation,” Nam explained.
Several experts suggest that to successfully implement the project, relevant ministries and agencies must promptly and effectively provide training and capacity-building for farmers, management staff, and agricultural cooperative members, as well as other stakeholders. It is essential to encourage farmers to connect through agricultural cooperatives and establish strong links with businesses to form large-scale fields for producing high-quality and low-emission rice. These connections are vital for the smooth adoption of sustainable rice farming practices and for measuring emission reductions to sell carbon credits that are difficult to achieve for individual small farmers.
To ensure the project's practical and effective implementation, the experts recommend the establishment of clear regulations on the benefits for businesses participating in the project, significantly investing in mechanisation and irrigation infrastructure to retain freshwater for rice production and creating a mechanism to coordinate rice export activities to maximise benefits for farmers and Vietnam's rice export industry. Piloting a carbon credit programme is also essential, especially since international organisations are committed to supporting Vietnam on finance and facilitating market access. Additionally, the project should be integrated with other programmes, and efforts should be made to mobilise resources through public-private partnerships and strengthen international cooperation.
The goal of the Project on Planting One Million Hectares of High-Quality Rice is to develop high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation areas by reducing the amount of rice seed sown to 80-100 kilogrammes per hectares, decreasing chemical fertilisers and pesticides by 20%, reducing irrigation water usage by 20% compared to traditional farming methods, and ensuring that 100% of the area applies at least one sustainable farming practice, such as: "one must - five reductions”, alternate wetting and drying irrigation, Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) standards, and certified good agricultural practices with traceable farm codes.
