Minister Le Minh Hoan: ‘Selling rice may not make you rich, but selling kindness will’

Pride in ‘humane’ agricultural products

On the morning of June 12, in Hai Duong, the Hai Duong Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Tu Ky District People's Committee organized the Tu Ky Organic Rice Festival 2024.

The festival was held in An Thanh commune, Tu Ky district, the largest organic rice production area in Hai Duong province. Along both sides of the dyke are organic agricultural production areas, including rice, bananas, leafy vegetables, spices, and more than 200 hectares that have been converted to farming under the organic rice-worm model since 2020, following the local investment in building a Soi sewer to bring water into the inner fields.

The initiative to improve organic production areas has been implemented in An Thanh and Quang Trung communes and expanded to other localities with similar ecological characteristics, such as Chi Minh, Binh Lang, and Ha Thanh.

“Organic agriculture should be considered a revolution in our minds and actions towards nature, human health, the environment, biodiversity, and, importantly, for future generations,” Minister Le Minh Hoan emphasized.

This investment in improving organic production areas and utilizing sandworms in the infield area has yielded positive results. It has successfully transformed traditional rice production areas into organic production zones, achieving the dual goal of harvesting rice and worms. This not only brings high economic efficiency but also contributes to protecting the environment, improving people's health, and maintaining the ecosystem. The field ecology and aquatic organisms develop sustainably.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Sam, Secretary of the District Party Committee & Chairman of the People’s Council of Tu Ky district, highlighted that Tu Ky is located in the Thai Binh and Luoc river basins and the Bac Hung Hai irrigation system, a land blessed with natural beauty, favorable climatic conditions, and fertile soil enriched by alluvium from the surrounding rivers.

Tu Ky farmers are hard-working and industrious, with a long tradition and experience in farming. The blend of the essence of heaven and earth with the hands and creativity of the farmers creates agricultural products rich in Eastern cultural identity, including worms, fish, organic rice, and many other agricultural products.

“Recognizing agricultural development as one of the four pillars according to the Resolution of the 17th Provincial Party Congress and promoting agricultural production towards clean, safe practices associated with sustainable environmental protection, high-tech agriculture, and organic farming combined with experiential eco-tourism, Tu Ky’s ‘humane’ agricultural products have increasingly gained quality and recognition across the country in recent years,” Mr. Sam added.

According to Secretary of the Hai Duong Provincial Party Committee Tran Duc Thang, the entire Hai Duong province currently has 881.6 hectares of organic production area combined with the exploitation of sandworms, concentrated in the districts of Tu Ky, Thanh Ha, Kim Thanh, and Phu Tho town. In Kinh Mon commune, production in 2023 is estimated to reach 4,400 tons of organic rice, 814 tons of sandworms, and 59 tons of sand, bringing an annual value of over 300 billion VND.

“Sustainably exploiting and preserving aquatic specialties such as sandworms and fiddler crabs combined with organic agricultural production not only brings high economic efficiency but also contributes to protecting the environment, improving people’s health, and maintaining the ecosystem. This allows fields and aquatic organisms to develop sustainably,” Mr. Thang emphasized.

Mr. Thang noted that in 2018, the rice worm farming model in An Thanh commune, Tu Ky district, won the first prize nationwide at the Vietfarm Award - Proud of Vietnamese Agricultural Products, organized by the Center for Development and Integration with support from the Irish Development Agency, and was highly praised by international experts.

In 2021, Tu Ky’s rice worm products were certified as 4-star OCOP products. In 2022, the An Thanh rice production area was granted an organic certificate.

‘Selling rice will not make you rich, but selling kindness will’

Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan remarked, “Starting this journey is difficult, and I don't know whom to address first. Let’s begin with all kind people, kind farmers, kind businesses, and a decent ecosystem.”

The Minister added, “Ultimately, organic or ecological agriculture is a story of kindness. Describing it as kind agriculture resonates more with people’s emotions than using scientific terms like organic' or ecological. We are kind, and we create kind products.”

The Minister shared a book about Japanese organic farming. He highlighted that the Japanese regard organic agriculture as a revolution, not just a simple switch from traditional to organic rice farming.

Because the Japanese see organic agriculture as a revolution, they are attentive, persistent, and patient, always striving to showcase the value of their rice. Perhaps that’s why Japanese rice is consistently sold in supermarkets at prices 5-10 times higher than our own rice.

“Organic agriculture should be considered a revolution in our minds and actions towards nature, human health, the environment, biodiversity, and, importantly, future generations,” Minister Le Minh Hoan emphasized.

The agricultural sector leader thanked Tu Ky for presenting the “humane” agricultural story. The Minister stated that although today’s festival is held on a village road, it has inspired the entire agricultural sector of our country, motivating farmers across all regions, not just rice farmers. It could be about rice, fish, shrimp, or any other product, but it should always be about kindness.

"We communicate to the world that Vietnamese people are practicing decent farming. An Thanh and Tu Ky are just one of the ‘sparks’ igniting this movement in Hai Duong, Hung Yen, and the Northern Delta provinces,” the Minister affirmed.

Minister Le Minh Hoan expressed gratitude to all the farmers, encouraging the Minister and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to think differently, be more persistent, and renew themselves a little yearly. The Minister believes that with the determination of the leaders of Hai Duong province, Tu Ky district, and the farmers, miracles will happen in this land.

The Minister expressed his hope that after today’s Festival, Tu Ky will continue to focus more on humane agriculture and boldly create an agricultural plan for humanity, as Tu Ky is still very timid and not bold enough.

“I think we should all attend simple festivals like this, not in a grand hall, but right in the field with the farmers so that we can also be kind people, to show our gratitude to the kind people,” Minister Le Minh Hoan added.

At the 2024 Tu Ky Organic Rice Festival, activities included signing a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in consuming organic products, organizing a cooking competition for organic specialties, hosting a rice harvesting contest, and cutting the ribbon to sell organic rice on the beach.