Kien Giang expands large-scale rice fields

Illustrative image. (Photo: VNA)

Kien Giang (VNA) – The Mekong delta province of Kien Giang set up 20 large-scale rice fields with a total area of 1,600 hectares last year, as part of its effort towards restructuring agricultural production towards sustainability, and increasing quality and added value.

According to Le Van Dung, deputy director of the provincial Agriculture Extention Centre, it has supported the building of 15 establishments that have met Vietnamese Good Agricultural Practices (VietGAP) and Good Agricultural Practices (GlobalGAP) standards on shrimp, rice, durian and mangosteen cultivation. An electronic system of traceability using QR codes for 10 agricultural production chains for production and businesses units, cooperatives and cooperative groups certified with VietGAP standard was set up at the same time.

The centre has also initiated three programmes associated with the sale of rice including large-scale projects meeting raw material region and responding to climate change on 4,800ha, 470ha for rice development and 220ha for organic rice farming. Once taking part in the programmes, enterprises will coordinate with cooperatives and cooperative groups in providing rice seeds and sale.

Under its development programme, the centre has set up dozens of large-scale fields with combined areas topping 50 hectares.

Farming households which engaged in the model cultivate the same rice varieties and tend their fields using the same farming techniques.

All rice paddies harvested on a large-scale field is purchased by companies that participate in the programme. The companies supply the farmers with seeds, fertiliser and other input materials.

In addition to promoting linkages in the sale of the output, facilitating cooperatives and enterprises in choosing qualified varieties, and committing to follow the required technical processes, the model contributes to improving product quality and food hygiene.

The centre will maintain the area under the programmes and align with enterprises, cooperatives and rice traders to secure outlet for farmers in the 2021-2022 winter-spring crop./.