38,400 forest owners in Nghe An benefit from carbon credits

That was the statement of Mr. Nguyen Danh Hung, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Nghe An Province, at the training workshop on "Enhancing media capacity and carbon neutrality," jointly organized by TH Group and Vietnam Agriculture & Nature Newspaper on October 15 in Cua Lo Ward, Nghe An Province.

Mr. Nguyen Danh Hung added, in line with the Net Zero goal committed by Viet Nam at COP26 and to realize the Politburo’s Resolution No. 39 on building and developing Nghe An Province by 2030, with a vision toward 2045 of focusing on ‘developing the agricultural sector in a sustainable manner, gradually adapting to climate change, and reducing methane emissions in agricultural production’, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Nghe An has proactively implemented a range of solutions to ensure sustainable development amid increasingly complex and unpredictable climate change.

In particular, the province has been promoting the adoption of agricultural and forestry production solutions to enhance carbon storage and reduce emissions across key sectors, which are crop cultivation, livestock, forestry, and aquaculture, thereby contributing to the goal of achieving carbon neutrality in agriculture. Overall, the progress has been encouraging, and many positive results have already been achieved.

The forestry sector has benefited the most. Along with Lam Dong and Gia Lai, Nghe An ranks among the top three provinces in Viet Nam, possessing the largest forest area nationwide. The province currently has over 1.036 million hectares of forest, including more than 790,000 hectares of natural forest and nearly 246,000 hectares of planted forest, with a forest coverage rate of 59.01%.

From 2023 to 2025, Nghe An was selected to participate in the Emission Reduction Payment Agreement (ERPA) program for the North Central Region. Based on classification, approximately 790,000 hectares of natural forest, along with more than 38,400 forest owners (including organizations, households, individuals, and communities) and commune-level People’s Committees, are eligible to receive payments from forest carbon credits.

The ERPA program has had a truly remarkable impact, which is likened to “a refreshing downpour in the midst of a drought.” It simultaneously eases the livelihood pressures of tens of thousands of upland households in Nghe An while enhancing the sense of responsibility for forest management and protection within local communities.

In livestock production, several high-tech models have been introduced across the province under sustainable value chain approaches, focusing on emission reduction solutions. With a forward-looking vision, TH Group has taken an early lead in this field, evidenced by its certification from Control Union (the Netherlands) for carbon neutrality per the international standard PAS 2060:2014, granted in 2025 to two of the Group’s core enterprises.

This achievement underscores TH’s strong commitment to the province’s ambitious agenda of "green agriculture - circular economy - sustainable development." These efforts align with Viet Nam’s national commitment to reduce methane emissions from agriculture, as pledged at COP26, and to advance the transition toward greener, more circular production systems.

In addition, Nghe An’s agricultural sector is working closely and effectively with pioneering enterprises such as Green Carbon and Faeger to implement pilot projects on low-emission rice production and generate carbon credits through the technical solution of AWD, covering a total area of over 19,000 hectares.

On October 15-16, Vietnam Agriculture & Nature Newspaper, in collaboration with TH Group, organized a training workshop on "Enhancing media capacity and carbon neutrality" in Nghe An Province.

Attending the opening session were Mr. Nguyen Nhu Khoi, Vice Chairman of the Nghe An Provincial People’s Council; Mr. Nguyen Tuan Quang, Deputy Director General of the Department of Climate Change; Mr. Nguyen Danh Hung, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Nghe An; Dr. Mai Van Trinh, Director of the Institute of Agriculture Environment; Mr. Phan Van Thang, Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Nghe An Newspaper and Radio-Television; representatives of TH Group; along with delegates, speakers, and 40 journalists, reporters, and editors from central and local media agencies.