More rice: Vietnam

26 Jan, 2010

HCM CITY, VIETNAM - Southern provinces have this year targeted a rice yield of 23 million tonnes on an area of 4,341 million hectares, an increase of 57,000 tonnes and 94,000ha compared to last year.

The production will follow the standards of the Viet Nam Good Quality Practice (Viet GAP) and Global Good Quality Practice (Global GAP).

GAP standards define the quality of soil preparation, rice plant tendering, pest prevention, harvesting and storing methodology. The standards have helped increase profits for farmers, especially from high-value exports.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Cultivation Department has advised regional farmers to use key rice varieties developed by the Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Bui Ba Bong said irrigation and preparation for the drying process would ensure a quality harvest from this year's crops.

Bong spoke during a conference to review 2009 rice crops and cultivation in the Mekong city of Can Tho last Friday.

"The worst thing is the drought that will come in the middle of February, which will affect a large number of areas," he said. "So the ministry has urged provinces to dredge canals to reserve fresh water."

Bong said the chances of saline intrusion were low since most rice in the coastal areas would be harvested in March. "The provinces should have already been well prepared by then with anti-salination dams."

"Each agricultural cooperative should have one drying plant for the use of all farmers," said Le Van Banh, the institute's director.

"The World Bank's agricultural capacity enhancement project is going to fund two delta provinces, An Giang and Tien Giang, US$1 million each for infrastructure and post-harvesting technology."

Threats, risks

"We have to be highly aware of the spread of leaf-burning disease caused by the Pyricularia oryzae cav. bacterium during this winter-spring crop," said Nguyen Huu Huan, deputy director of the Plant Protection Agency.

The disease has affected 80,000ha of rice in the delta. Huan warned farmers to reduce the cultivation density to avoid the spread of disease. He said farmers, in an aim to control disease, should avoid using too much nitrogenous fertilizer.

"Brownbugs have attacked 75,000ha of rice in the delta. We have measures to prevent the insects' outbreak because the neighbouring countries of China, Cambodia and Thailand are experiencing this," he said.

Viet Nam Food Association (VFA)'s President Truong Thanh Phong said one of the common rice varieties used by the delta farmers requires complicated drying processes. Farmers should reduce the cultivation area of this variety in the summer-autumn crop to avoid losses, he added.

"The country's rice exports will have new competitors with similar types of rice from Myanmar," he said. "Last year, Myanmar exported 900,000 tonnes of rice and it plans to increase the quantity to 1.5 million this year, with $100 lower in price of one tonne than Vietnamese rice."

Network support

Phong said the VFA had ordered rice exporters to organise a network of merchandisers and rice-husking facilities. This will reduce the number of purchasers' direct visits to farmers and help them buy rice at a low rate.

The VFA is establishing an investment fund for rice quality enhancement. The Central Association for Farmers will join hands to run an expected $6 million fund, providing incentive loans to cooperatives and farmers in drying plant and rice-husking plant projects, or warehousing development.

Rice exporters promised to contribute $1 per exported tonne of rice to the fund.

Phong said the VFA would carry out a programme to equip 13,000 communes nationwide with two to three computers in each commune. Farmers would learn agricultural techiques through the internet.