High-quality rice becomes central for Dong Thap’s agri transformation

Farmers benefit from high-quality rice production

For many years, the province has been among the region’s major rice producers. However, in response to the growing need for sustainable development, higher agricultural value and climate adaptation, Dong Thap is gradually shifting its production mindset, from focusing on output to prioritizing quality, value creation and emission reduction.

A major driver of this transformation is the government’s program to develop one million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice linked to green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030.

Dong Thap is one of the largest rice-growing localities in the region, with more than 500,000 hectares planted annually, producing millions of tons of paddy. In the past, however, rice cultivation was largely small-scale and fragmented, heavily dependent on agricultural inputs and only loosely connected to markets. As a result, the value of the rice produced did not fully reflect its potential.

In recent years, the province has accelerated the restructuring of its agricultural sector, focusing on improving product quality, building production and consumption linkages, and applying technology in farming. Participation in the government’s one-million-hectare high-quality rice program has created an important turning point for the local rice industry.

Through the program, many advanced rice production models have been introduced, including Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP) standards, improved irrigation management, reduced seeding rates, and lower fertilizer and crop protection chemical use. These technical improvements not only help cut production costs but also reduce greenhouse gas emissions from rice cultivation.

Across linked rice production fields in Dong Thap, many farmers are already seeing the benefits of the new model. By adopting improved cultivation techniques and establishing supply contracts with businesses, production costs have declined significantly, while yields and selling prices have become more stable.

Nguyen Van Tam, a farmer participating in a high-quality rice production linkage model in Thap Muoi commune, said farmers previously sowed seeds densely and used large amounts of fertilizers and pesticides, resulting in high costs and unstable profits. Since joining the program, farmers have been guided to reduce seeding rates, manage irrigation more effectively and keep production records, leading to noticeable cost reductions.

“By applying the new techniques, each hectare of rice saves several million dong in costs compared with before. More importantly, with companies purchasing the output, farmers feel secure about production and no longer worry about market access,” Tam said.

Beyond improving farmer incomes, the high-quality rice production model is also fostering more professional farming practices, from maintaining field diaries to complying with technical standards and ensuring product traceability.

Deeper integration into the global rice value chain

During the program’s implementation, agricultural cooperatives have played a central role in organizing production and building linkages with businesses.

Nguyen Van Hung, Director of Thang Loi Agricultural Service Cooperative in My Quy commune, selected as the first cooperative in Dong Thap to pilot the program, said the cooperative had already been applying advanced farming techniques for several years with strong support from its members.

“The cooperative has implemented SRP-standard rice production, organized detailed production recordkeeping, and introduced synchronized mechanization in the fields. With our experience and the determination of our members, we are confident we can implement the one-million-hectare program effectively,” Hung said.

Under initial agreements between Thang Loi Cooperative and service providers and enterprises, participating companies commit to forming production linkages and purchasing rice output from farmers. This arrangement allows farmers to focus on production while improving incomes and building high-quality rice raw-material areas for export.

One notable innovation in Dong Thap’s implementation of the program is the use of digital transformation in agriculture. Farmers are being trained to use digital applications to record production data, monitor cultivation processes, manage agricultural inputs and ensure product traceability.

At the same time, low-emission cultivation practices, such as alternate wetting and drying irrigation, reduced seeding rates and more efficient fertilizer use, are being widely adopted. These measures help reduce both input costs and greenhouse gas emissions from rice fields.

Developing high-quality rice production zones also creates favorable conditions for Dong Thap to integrate more deeply into the global rice value chain and meet increasingly strict export market standards.

According to Le Ha Luan, Director of the Dong Thap Department of Agriculture and Environment, the implementation of the one-million-hectare high-quality rice program has provided strong momentum for transforming the province’s rice production sector.

Dong Thap is now shifting its focus beyond increasing output to enhancing rice value, lowering production costs, reducing emissions and building a sustainable rice brand.

In recent years, the province has gradually changed farmers’ production mindset, promoted value chain linkages, expanded digital transformation and implemented sustainable cultivation models. These efforts provide an important foundation for Dong Thap to become a center for high-quality rice production in the Mekong Delta.

In the coming years, the province plans to expand the area participating in the program, strengthen the role of cooperatives, accelerate the application of science, technology and digital tools in production, and deepen partnerships with businesses to develop high-quality rice raw material zones for export.