The VnSAT project promotes Mekong Delta rice brands

According to the Agricultural Projects Management Board under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), the Sustainable Agriculture Transformation Project in Vietnam (VnSAT) has contributed to promote strong chain linkage for rice products in the Mekong Delta provinces.

Specifically, the project has registered intellectual property with rice varieties produced in the VnSAT project implementation area, including ST24 and Dai Thom 8 of Tien Cuong Cooperative in Dong Thap province. The two varieties have been produced, processed and distributed according to the chain of the VnSAT Project and won the TOP 10 prestigious Brand - Exclusive brand award 2019, granted by the National Office of Intellectual Property (Ministry of Science and Technology) and the Hanoi Anti-counterfeiting - Brand Protection Association. ST rice is consumed in Hanoi with an output of about 50 tons/month.

Particularly, the area of rice and coffee cultivation in 8 provinces that the VnSAT Project is implemented has continuously increased through evaluations.

In the summer-autumn crop in 2021, 61,372 hectares of rice had off-take contracts. Specifically, Can Tho City has 12,777 ha, reaching 197% of the target of 6,500 ha; Tien Giang province has 9,274 ha, achieving a completion rate of 169% against the target of 5,500 ha; Hau Giang Province has 9,000 hectares, reaching 145% of the target of 6,200 hectares; Kien Giang Province has 9,285 hectares, achieving 133% of the target of 7,000 hectares; Long An province has 6,892 hectares, achieving 115% of the target of 6,000 hectares.

The VnSAT has been largely funded by the International Development Association (IDA) under the World Bank since 2015. It has a total investment of 301 million USD, of which, 238 million USD is financed by the IDA, while the remainder is sourced from the Vietnamese Government and private sector.

In the Mekong Delta provinces – namely Kien Giang, An Giang, Hau Giang, Tien Giang, Long An, Dong Thap, Can Tho, and Soc Trang – the project aims to support a large-scale programme of improving agronomic practices and management, supporting private sector investments in upgrading rice processing technology and facilities for high value and quality rice, and improving public service delivery.

The project is expected to reach about 140,000 rice-producing households, cultivating around 200,000ha of rice in the Mekong Delta and helping to increase those rice smallholders’ incomes by 30 percent.