Du Huong 8, Dai Thom 8 Rice stand out in large fields of Nam Dinh

In the early days of June 2021, Mr. Tran Van Cuong, a farmer from hamlet 6, Binh Hoa Commune, Giao Thuy District, seemed to take care of the rice fields more. Harvest time is coming soon just waiting for a few big sunny spells then people will reap simultaneously.

"This year, Du Huong 8 rice has been growing very well. My family has planted several crops before, but this is the first year we plant it on a large field model. The whole commune embraces the spirit of following the model in a way called ‘three together’, which means planting, caring, and harvesting together completely under mechanization. My wife and I, therefore, are less extremely hard in farming," said Mr. Cuong. 

Like many other families in hamlet 6, Mr. Cuong's children all work far away. The field of about 2 acres used to be a worry for an over 60 years old couple. Sometimes, Cuong considered leasing it or signing a contract with others to take care of it, but when thinking about the fragrant, sticky rice he himself planted, he clicked his tongue "trying it out".

Joining a seedling support program and actively participating in technical training courses guided by the commune, Mr. Cuong's family received several hectares of land for planting rice this season. "There are machines to do farming, so my job is mainly to visit the fields, wait for the rice to grow, and detect pests in time. As good as this, next year I will receive a few more hectares," he said cheerfully.

Mr. Cuong analyzed that Du Huong 8 is resistant to weather and less attacked by pests. With the land in Binh Hoa Commune alone, where there is a low-lying field, Du Huong 8 also promotes the advantages of anti-falling characteristics, short growth time, long and beautiful rice seed, and be easy to care for. Strictly following the process guided by Vinaseed and commune agricultural extension, the rice will be ripe very well.

Mr. Nguyen Van Bon, Vice Chairman of Binh Hoa Commune People's Committee said that the total area of Du Huong 8 rice in the comune is about 32.9 ha. This crop’s yield is estimated at 2-2.2 quintals/sao (equivalent to about 55-60 quintals/ha, quite a high yield for the quality aromatic rice).

Thanks to the rice’s good yield and quality which are not less than the previous famous varieties, 100% of farmers in hamlet 5 and hamlet 6 have registered to plan Du Huong 8 rice.

"Similar to the varieties introduced before by Vinaseed such as T10 and LT2, Du Huong 8 is very suitable for the soil of Binh Hoa Commune. People want to maintain the ‘three together’ field model in the near future," said Bon.

Effectiveness on large fields

In addition to Du Huong 8, Vinaseed also experiments and supplies many other varieties in Nam Dinh Province, including Dai Thom 8. This variety is currently planted in large fields with more than 30 hectares in Giao An Commune, Giao Thuy District.

Mr. Nguyen Van Cu from hamlet 8 in Giao An Commune, a farmer who is directly planting Dai Thom 8 said that this rice was initially favored by traders. The purchase price ranges from VND8,000 to 9,000/kg.

"In the past, my neighbors and I mostly planted small crops with low income. Thanks to the government's interest in investing in all varieties and developing large fields, we only sprayed once or twice with pesticides. Deducting all costs, we can earn a profit of about VND200,000/sao more than before. Hopefully, we will be more facilitated to continue planting Dai Thom 8", Mr. Cu expressed.

Mr. Cu is one of 169 households in hamlet 8, who agreed to plant Dai Thom 8 in a large field. When the harvest is nearly to come, the actual yield is estimated at 2.2-2.5 quintals/sao (equivalent to 60-68 quintals/ha), superior to previous varieties which yielded less than 60 quintals/ha.

Giao An is a coastal commune of Giao Thuy District. The land conditions are not as good as the inner communes. Soil contaminated with acid and salt. However, since Dai Thom 8 was planted in two large fields of the commune, the internal irrigation system has been less affected. Both when planting and harvesting, machines move easily.

Mr. Le Quang Dan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee and Head of the Agriculture Committee of Giao An Commune said: "Dai Thom 8 is a cold, short-term variety.  The rice is shiny, clear, and sticky. The rice has a slight aroma after cook. It can be sold for about VND9,000/kg. When planted in a large field, the rice grows very well, blooms and self-pollinates at the same time so it can avoid the phenomenon of re-breeding. We are considering to replicate the planting model in the 2021 crop".

Du Huong 8 and Dai Thom 8 are key varieties introduced by Nam Dinh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in the seed and capital restructuring program, which started two years ago. According to data from the department, the quality seed structure accounts for about 80% of the rice field in the area.

"Dai Thom 8 and Du Huong 8 are all potential, easygoing varieties. With the varieties provided by Vinaseed, we have all considered and added to mass production, multiplying on large fields. Nam Dinh currently has about 150 -160 large fields per crop", said Mr. Nguyen Sinh Tien, Deputy Director of Nam Dinh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Deputy Director of Nam Dinh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr. Nguyen Sinh Tien: Vinaseed has distributed a variety of rice varieties in Nam Dinh for many years, helping to improve productivity and harvest value for farmers. Hopefully, the group will stabilize seed prices, research more varieties that are well-adapted to climate change, and cooperate with the province to build real large-field models, from seed supply to consumption.