Asking a question at the forum, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Huy - Outstanding Vietnamese Farmer 2023, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Director of Tam Dao Mushroom Cooperative (Vinh Phuc) informed that currently Tam Dao Mushroom Cooperative is investing in developing raw material areas for growing mulberry and raising silkworms in some mountainous provinces such as Lao Cai, Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai, Cao Bang.

Mulberry is an old tree in Vietnam. Mulberry is a leafy tree but always maintains at least 5 leaves at the end of the season, so the surface is always covered with green.

Mr. Huy cited that growing mulberry is bringing in a high income of up to 300 million VND/year, minus expenses, the remaining 180 million VND/year. At the same time, in the entire process of growing mulberry and raising silkworms, the use of chemical fertilizers containing inorganic nitrogen is very limited, helping to protect the environment and create nutrients for the soil. The cooperative is working with many provinces to export products to the world, our silk and silk opportunities are very potential, especially in the Indian market.

“To achieve long-term effectiveness, we do not use pesticides, so the level of environmental protection is very good. So I would like to ask if large mulberry growing areas can be measured and certified for carbon credits?” – farmer Nguyen Quoc Huy raised the issue.

Growing strawberries is very low emission, has the potential to sell carbon credits

Answering the question of delegate Nguyen Quoc Huy, excellent Vietnamese farmer 2023, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Director of Tam Dao Mushroom Cooperative (Tam Dao, Vinh Phuc), Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Do Duc Duy was very pleased with the question and information that delegate Huy raised: "Developing the area of ​​mulberry cultivation for silkworm raising and aiming to be granted and sold carbon credits".

According to the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, the demand for silkworm farming is currently high, not only domestically but also internationally. Especially in the northern mountainous areas such as Yen Bai, Lao Cai, Vinh Phuc..., the conversion from ineffective rice fields to silkworm farming has brought about very high economic efficiency, with an estimated income of 250 million to 300 million VND/ha/year. This crop can grow on hills and sloping land, bringing very good economic efficiency to farmers.

Especially in Yen Bai, it also attracts large-scale silk factories and produces high quality silk for export to many countries around the world.

According to Minister Do Duc Duy, if we invest more, use organic fertilizers, biological pesticides... applied to mulberry cultivation, emissions will be very low, so there is potential to sell carbon credits. "In the near future, we will support localities and people. We aim to build methods for granting carbon certificates for mulberry cultivation areas, contributing to achieving the Net zero target by 2050." - Minister Do Duc Duy informed.

Minister Do Duc Duy said that not only this field but also many other fields in agriculture will be granted carbon certification and achieve the Net Zero target by 2050.

There will be criteria to guide farmers in production towards the Net Zero target.

Responding to questions and recommendations from delegates about farmers implementing production towards the Net Zero target, Mr. Tang The Cuong - Director of the Department of Climate Change (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment) said:

The topic of agricultural production adapting to climate change is of great interest to ministries, sectors and localities. Because low emissions in agriculture are associated with local development, the Government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development are implementing many solutions to reduce emissions. In the total structure of greenhouse gas emissions, the largest emission is energy, accounting for 62%, followed by agriculture.

The importance of the agricultural sector in emission reduction is very important. In implementing the work of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has had very positive solutions. Firstly, implementing the direction of the Prime Minister's COP 26 Steering Committee, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has issued an emission reduction plan until 2030, including agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and land. The Ministry of Agriculture is also actively implementing to issue regulations guiding the implementation of low emission reduction, especially in the forestry sector. The Ministry is also developing and issuing carbon credit determination.

In forestry, international partners are paying close attention to our country's forest potential. Vietnam has successfully transferred 10.3 million forest carbon credits (10.3 million tons of CO2) through the World Bank (WB) at a unit price of 5 USD/ton, earning 51.5 million USD (about 1,200 billion VND). This is the first step in the potential for forest carbon credit trading. Experts say that Vietnam is one of the countries with rich forest potential, with more than 14.86 million hectares, reaching a coverage rate of 42.02% and is the only sector with negative net emissions...

In agriculture, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is working with the World Bank and partners to implement the Project of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission specialized rice in the Mekong Delta. After 2 years of implementation, we have achieved very positive results.

To support farmers in agricultural production to adapt to climate change, reduce emissions and move towards the Net Zero target, the Department of Climate Change will advise the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to gradually develop specific guidelines for people to implement. I hope that farmers and agricultural enterprises will work together to turn unfamiliar issues into familiar ones.