2021 winter-spring crop in the Mekong Delta witnesses initiatives

Starting 2021, the Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper had an interview with Mr. Le Thanh Tung, Deputy Director of Department of Crop Production (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) about this issue.

Basically overcome drought and salinity in 2021

Drought and saltwater intrusion periodically occur from November – December the previous year to March next year. How is the situation this year in the Mekong Delta? Is it affecting the winter-spring rice production?

Until now, based on the forecast of drought and saltwater intrusion given by specialized agencies, and current rice harvest progress, we can say the winter-spring crop in the Mekong Delta has overcome those two issues in 2021. Those problems will not affect productivity and quality of rice, even in coastal areas of the Mekong Delta this year.

This is the result of proactively adjusting the production schedule by starting it earlier, along with applying technical solutions, selecting and breeding short-term rice varieties in the Mekong Delta.

So how are measures to prevent and cope with drought and saltwater intrusion in the Mekong Delta implemented?

Learning from previous years’ experience, central and local specialized agencies update news and forecast, and regularly inform technicians and farmers in the region.

On a particular note, thanks to the preparation for months in 2020, with solutions deployed synchronously by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, its specialized agencies, and Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development, production is guaranteed despite a harsh dry season forecasted for 2020 – 2021 and abnormal changes in upstream water.

Pay attention to food safety to build Vietnamese rice brand

2020 witnessed the Mekong Delta farmers’ big win in harvesting and selling rice. What are the expectations for this important sector in 2021?

We are confident that the quality of this year’s rice crop will be good, and the prices continue to be this high until year-end. In addition, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has promoted food safety and quality so as our products meet technical standard and we have more access to demanding markets, taking advantage of FTAs. 

However, we also would like to remind farmers and local agencies to listen to market signals to accordingly adjust the proportion of summer-autumn crop. For instance, such varieties as IR 50404, OM 576, ML202, etc. are good for processing but not for exporting as their export markets are limited and prices are not high. For sticky varieties, we can increase its production in the winter-spring while decreasing in the summer-autumn. Meanwhile for aromatic rice varieties, we can maintain 80% of the total crop.

“In 2021, with advantages gained from penetrating difficult markets such as the EU, Japan, Korea, etc., what we need to focus on is adding value by improving quality, ensuring no residues of pesticides and harmful substances in our products to keep the reputation of the Vietnamese rice brand.” - Mr. Le Thanh Tung.

Management changed, prediction activities increased

For a further sustainable development of the agricultural sector, in 2021, the Department of Crop Production is proposing a project on the management of agricultural areas using digital agriculture 4.0. Could you share with us more of this?

In the future, for not only the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development but also localities in the Mekong Delta area, we should change the statistical approach to have more specific output figures, towards market prediction and estimation, and the quality of agricultural products.

This greatly contributes to the consumption of agricultural products without any “rescue” campaign. When we can estimate the yield and quality, we will be able to estimate the production cost and value for each locality’s market. We call that the management of cultivation zones using digital agriculture as defined in the Law on Crop Production.

Localities in 2021 and coming years need to focus on upgrading their cultivation zones so that their products meet food safety standards set by importing countries, based on which the agricultural sector can give traceability codes and geographical indications, as well as develop the brand.

“Signals and results so far have showed that access to information sources of news agencies, specialized agencies, and those who involved in the production has been actively improved. We expect a good harvest right in this dry season of 2021 for both rice and fruit trees.” - Mr. Le Thanh Tung, Deputy Director of Department of Crop Production.