Mitigating dust, noise pollution at rice drying facility: Vinaseed

Urgently reduce dust and noise

Recently, several households living near the Seed Processing, Drying, and Storage Plant under Quang Nam National Seed JSC (Vinaseed Quang Nam), located in Bo Mung 1 residential quarter, Dien Ban Bac ward, reported dust and noise generated during the plant’s operations, affecting the daily lives of nearby residents. After receiving the complaints, the People's Committee of Dien Ban Bac Ward conducted an on-site inspection and requested the enterprise to urgently address environmental shortcomings.

Mr. Nguyen Van Chinh, Director of Vinaseed Quang Nam, said that the company began rice-drying operations on April 21 and expects to conclude them on May 15. At the same time, the enterprise has been implementing a project to upgrade its dust-control and noise-reduction systems for the drying line. When the ward’s inter-agency inspection team conducted its on-site inspection, the project was in its final stage of completion and was expected to be finished within approximately six days.

According to Mr. Chinh, immediately after receiving initial feedback from residents, the company implemented a series of measures to minimize the impact on the surrounding residential area. These included enclosing the drying zone with shade nets with approximately 90% coverage, combined with a mist-spraying system to reduce dust. However, restrictions on operating hours have reduced drying capacity to around 50%.

To both increase operational capacity and ensure environmental compliance, since April 2026, the company has continued to invest in a comprehensive upgrade project for its noise control and dust containment systems. The measures include fully enclosing the furnace and drying fans with specialized soundproofing materials and covering the entire facility with multiple layers of nets combined with a mist-spraying system to maintain humidity.

"This is the third upgrade and also the most synchronous one the company has undertaken. The noise control system has been reinforced with multiple layers of sound-absorbing materials to limit noise spread into residential areas. The dust mitigation system has also been nearly fully enclosed to reduce dust dispersion into the environment. With the current solutions, we believe that noise and dust impacts on nearby residents can be largely controlled," Mr. Chinh said.

According to the company, rice drying is seasonal, occurring for about 40-45 days per year. During the rest of the year, activities mainly involve processing pre-treated seeds, which generate minimal dust and noise.

The company stated that the drying line plays an important role in the seed production linkage with farmers, contributing to improved seed quality, reduced post-harvest losses, and increased income by around 20% compared to conventional commercial rice production. In addition to serving production, the plant currently employs many local workers.

"We wish to continue operations and are committed to fully complying with environmental protection regulations, ensuring both production efficiency and a healthy living environment for nearby residents," Mr. Chinh shared.

Harmonize production with the living environment

Field records indicate that the drying line area has been enclosed with a system of metal sheets running along the perimeter fence. Inside, areas adjacent to the furnace and drying fans are sealed with two layers of metal sheets, with a 7.5 cm-thick layer of specialized sound-insulating mineral wool installed within. Above, from the factory roof to the surrounding metal enclosure, multiple layers of nets combined with mist spraying have been installed to prevent dust dispersion into the environment. Several components that were previously exposed or inadequately covered have now been comprehensively upgraded and enclosed.

Mr. Nguyen Van Boi, Secretary of the Party Cell of Bo Mung 1 residential quarter, said that during previous inspection visits, the plant had not yet installed the enclosure and soundproofing systems it now has, resulting in significant dust emissions. However, after working sessions and reminders from local authorities, the enterprise quickly implemented and completed remedial measures.

According to Mr. Boi, the residential quarter currently has about 540 households, of which nearly 40 located adjacent to the plant are the most directly affected. Although concerns about environmental issues persist, many local residents acknowledge that the enterprise has created jobs for local workers in recent years. Therefore, the prevailing expectation is that the company will continue to fully address the issues to ensure a safe living environment for residents and maintain stable production.

At a recent inspection to assess the company's completion of remedial measures, Mr. Tran Van Quang, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dien Ban Bac Ward, noted that initial records indicate noise levels at the plant have decreased compared to before, and the enterprise has demonstrated a constructive and cooperative attitude in the remediation process.

According to local authorities, whether the plant is eligible to resume operations will depend on the official measurement results of dust and noise conducted by a specialized agency. The local government’s position is to facilitate business operations, provided that all environmental regulations are fully complied with and that residents’ lives are not affected. "If environmental regulations are met, the company may operate as normal. If not, it must continue remediation efforts," Mr. Quang affirmed.

In the context of agricultural production increasingly relying on post-harvest processing, drying, and storage, harmonizing environmental protection requirements with the need to sustain production, employment, and agricultural linkage chains is essential. As the enterprise has taken proactive steps to address existing shortcomings, local authorities should continue to monitor, support, and facilitate its operations in compliance with regulations, ensuring a balance of interests between residents and the business.