On the afternoon of October 15, in Can Tho City, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a conference to discuss solutions to promote the implementation of the Project "Sustainable development of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice cultivation associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta region by 2030" (abbreviated as the 1 million hectares of rice project).

Here, Mr. Le Minh Hoan - Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development said that in the past time, after the 1 million hectare rice project was approved by the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has worked continuously, overcome many difficulties (traffic infrastructure, irrigation, dykes, farmers' preferences, cooperative capacity...) and achieved initial results after the pilot implementation of the models.

According to Mr. Hoan, the ultimate goal of the project is to help people reduce input costs, increase income during harvest and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, achieving this result will take a long time.

In addition to the support of central ministries and branches, the impact of policies, according to Mr. Hoan, requires more initiative from localities in the Mekong Delta. Mr. Hoan also said that the 1 million hectare rice project currently being implemented is the beginning for future emission reduction projects in other areas of the agricultural sector.

In his concluding remarks at the conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed the establishment of a fund to support 1 million hectares of rice. This includes state capital, capital from selling carbon credits, support capital from partners, socialized capital, etc. The purpose of establishing the fund is to have a source of capital for quick use, without having to go through many procedures.

"I propose that comrade Ho Duc Phoc (Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance - PV) direct the Ministry of Finance to establish a fund to support 1 million hectares of rice, to immediately have a budget for 2025" - Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh directed.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as well as relevant ministries, branches and localities to coordinate to achieve the target of 1 million hectares of rice earlier than planned.

To do that, the implementing unit must "breathe life into rice plants" with digital technology, circular economy, science and technology and innovation. At the same time, it must "love rice plants as oneself", only then can a revolution in rice be created.

Regarding implementation capital, the Prime Minister requested to diversify resources (central, local, corporate, socialized, people...), especially to eliminate the mechanism of asking for and giving, subsidies and cumbersome administrative procedures.

Regarding planning, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the Ministry of Planning and Investment and localities must study to ensure that raw material areas are long-term and stable.

During the implementation process, it is necessary to mobilize the entire political system to participate, bringing science and technology to the raw material area, to create rice grains that reach the high-quality segment, moving towards a world-famous brand.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, on November 27, 2023, the Prime Minister approved the 1 million hectare rice project. The project is divided into 2 implementation phases. Phase 1 (2024-2025) focuses on developing 200,000 hectares. Phase 2 (2026-2030) will expand an additional 800,000 hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice.

Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, together with localities and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), has organized the implementation of 7 pilot models in 5 provinces and cities: Can Tho, Dong Thap, Kien Giang, Tra Vinh, and Soc Trang.

Currently, 4/7 pilot models of the Summer - Autumn crop in 2024 have reported very positive results. Specifically, reducing costs by 20-30% (reducing the amount of seeds by over 50%, reducing the amount of nitrogen fertilizer by over 30%, reducing 2-3 times of spraying pesticides, reducing about 30-40% of irrigation water), increasing productivity by 10% (yield in the model reached 6.3-6.6 tons/ha compared to the control at 5.7-6 tons/ha), increasing income for farmers by 20-25% (profit increased by 4-7.6 million VND/ha compared to the control), reducing an average of 5-6 tons of CO2e equivalent per hectare and all harvested rice output is registered by businesses for purchase with a purchase price higher than 200-300 VND/kg of paddy.

The results achieved in the pilot models have created great encouragement for farmers and cooperatives to trust and continue to actively participate in the project.