'Opening-field' autumn-winter rice had a good harvest, with profits doubling last year

Joy of the day "opening fields”

Rice prices in the Mekong Delta are at record levels. Many farmers regret that they no longer have rice to sell to traders because summer-autumn rice is at the end of the harvest season. In Chau Thanh district (Dong Thap province), IR 50404 and Ma Lam 202 rice are priced at VND 8,000/kg; OM 5451 at VND 7,900–8,000/kg; and Dai Thom 8 at VND 8,200–8,300/kg. In Tien Giang province, the price of autumn-winter rice also ranges from VND 7,800 to VND 8,200/kg, depending on the rice variety.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Phong, a rice trader in the Mekong Delta, said that this year's autumn-winter crop yields very well. Most farmers achieved profits doubling last year's autumn-winter crop.

"Last year's autumn-winter rice was only priced at VND 6,600/kg, while this year’s price is at VND 8,000/kg or more, an increase of VND 1,400/kg. I have been buying rice for over 25 years, but now I see the price of fresh rice peaking at VND 8,300/kg," said Mr. Phong.

In provinces with large rice-growing areas such as An Giang, Dong Thap, Long An, Kien Giang, and Can Tho City, thanks to the good price for the summer-autumn crop, farmers take advantage of sowing seeds early for the 2023 autumn-winter crop. On these days, farmers in some localities, such as Dong Thap and Can Tho City, have "opened fields" to harvest autumn-winter rice. Traders buy fresh rice right at the fields at prices of VND 8,000–8,600/kg, so farmers are very excited and rush to harvest.

In Dong Thap, Mr. Le Quoc Dien, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that in the 2023 summer-autumn crop, farmers sowed nearly 185,000 hectares and harvested more than 95% of the area. The rice market is vibrant, so farmers actively clean their fields, prepare the soil, and sow the autumn-winter rice crop with a total area of 130,000 hectares, exceeding 5,000 hectares over the plan. Up until now, some districts, such as Thap Muoi, Cao Lanh, and Lap Vo, have had rice for harvest thanks to early sowing.

Farmers in Hoa Quoi hamlet, Hoa Tan commune (Chau Thanh district, Dong Thap province), are today "opening their fields" in excitement because of a good harvest and good prices. For example, Mr. Nguyen Van Hieu in Hoa Quoi hamlet is harvesting 13 hectares of IR 50404 rice. The rice yields 6.6 tons/ha. With a selling price of 8,000 VND/kg, he earns approximately VND 70 million/ha. Production costs in this year are equivalent to those in last year, about VND 25 million/ha, so Mr. Hieu earns a profit of over VND 40 million/ha, doubling last year.

Mr. Hieu said that the price of rice is high, so about a week after cutting rice, he will use the machine to till the soil, let the soil rest, and wait for the water in October on the lunar calendar to sow seeds for the winter-spring crop of 2023–2024.

Since the beginning of the crop, Tien Giang farmers have sold rice at the highest price over the past 10 years. At this time, traders buy rice right at farmers’ fields at prices of VND 7,800–8,200/kg. With this price, after deducting costs, farmers earn a profit of over VND 40 million/ha, doubling the previous crop. In this season, farmers planted high-quality rice varieties, hard plants with less falling, such as OM 18, Dai Thom 8, OM 5451, and Jasmin.

Mr. Nguyen Van Doi, Director of Binh Thanh Agricultural Service Cooperative (Lap Vo district, Dong Thap), said that more than 90% of the cooperative's total 900 hectares of autumn-winter rice are produced with high-quality varieties, with yields ranging from 6.2 to 6.5 tons/ha. The selling price is over VND 8,000/kg. In addition to the high price of rice, this year’s price of input materials has decreased sharply by 20–40%. Thanks to that, investment costs are significantly reduced, and farmers earn a profit of VND 27–35 million/ha.

"Currently, the world rice consumption market is strong, with high prices and many prospects, so the cooperative encourages farmers to actively take good care of autumn-winter rice. It is likely that 2023 will be a year of a good harvest and good prices for all three rice crops: winter-spring, summer-autumn, and fall-winter," said Mr. Nguyen Van Doi.

Rice in the linkage chain is priced higher than in the market

In Can Tho City, increasing rice prices have created momentum for farmers to expand production. In this 2023 autumn-winter rice crop, the locality produced over 78,570 hectares (12% more than planned). Right from the beginning of the crop, the Can Tho agriculture sector has determined to produce rice according to a model of close linkage from production, processing, and consumption stages, thereby improving quality, reducing costs, and increasing profits. At the same time, the locality also coordinates with branches to build and develop the Can Tho rice brand to enhance the rice industry value chain.

Mr. Tran Thai Nghiem, Deputy Director of the Can Tho Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that in recent times, rice farmers in Can Tho City have actively linked to establish cooperative groups and cooperatives to connect with businesses. Rice exporting enterprises and small traders are also actively linking and coordinating with functional agencies and farmers to build raw material areas and form large fields associated with promoting mechanization and applying advanced technical processes. This aims to produce high-quality rice that meets standards to meet market demand.

Areas with favorable conditions for rice growing, such as Thoi Lai, Co Do, and Vinh Thanh districts, have formed a number of concentrated, specialized rice production areas with a total area of about 55,000 hectares. Currently, the city has more than 30 cooperative groups and cooperatives producing rice, 33,000 hectares of rice area participating in large fields, and nearly 10,000 hectares of production according to VietGAP, GlobalGAP, SRP, and safety standards. Many businesses not only participate in production linkages but also ensure product consumption for farmers at prices of VND 100–200/kg higher than the market. Besides, they also provide rice seeds and other input materials to farmers, with payment made at the end of the crop.

In recent years, the production rate of fragrant rice varieties and high-quality rice in Can Tho has reached 90–95%, creating favorable conditions for farmers to sell rice at high prices. The main stages in the rice production process, such as tillage, watering, fertilizing, harvesting, etc., are now almost 100% mechanized. The application of mechanization in the stages of sowing and fertilizing has also been promoted and has reached 90–95%. Farmers also promote the mechanization of straw collection and take advantage of by-product sources to grow straw mushrooms, produce organic fertilizer, and use them for many other purposes to increase income.