Think about the itinerary of Japonica from the rice milk

Blending high-quality rice with top-grade rock sugar

Mr. Nguyen Van Su, the Director of Dan Hoa Agricultural Cooperative in Thanh Oai District, Hanoi City, is the distributor of brown rice milk. He greeted with a cheerful smile and proceeded to explain his involvement with this product. While visiting Lam Son Sugar Joint Stock Company's advanced melon farming model in Thanh Hoa province, he discovered the brown rice milk to be delectable and pleasurable.

These goods are free from artificial sweeteners, making them appropriate for a wide range of consumers, including those with cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, or gout. The unique aspect of this milk is that it is derived from the brown rice grains of the Japanese rice variety J02, which Su's cooperative is cultivating on 30 hectares following VietGAP guidelines. Therefore, he decided to apply to become a distributor. Over the past few months, Mr. Su has not only been inspecting the rice fields but also personally delivering the items, even for small orders of one or two boxes. This allows consumers in the neighborhood to have the chance to experience this novel product.

The cooperative has shown a good start in terms of sales, with monthly sales reaching 100 million VND. This success has given the cooperative confidence and optimism for establishing a closed-loop value chain that encompasses Japanese rice production and processing. The J02 Japanese rice variety produces a yield of 2.7 - 2.8 quintals per sao (360m²). The selling price of fresh rice is 8,400 VND/kg. Cooperative members can make a profit of roughly 1.2 - 1.3 million VND each rod.

According to Mr. Nguyen Dinh Lam, the Director of Kim Bai Agricultural Cooperative, the process of participating in the development plan for Japonica and high-quality commercial rice that meets export standards is challenging for the staff, but it brings significant benefits to the farmers.

In addition to obtaining assistance for acquiring seeds and materials, technical training, and centralized production with a single rice variety, farmers also benefit from reduced expenses on irrigation and upkeep. The primary factor of significance is in the superior economic efficacy of Japanese rice in comparison to conventional rice varieties, resulting in a yield of tens of millions of VND per hectare. Consequently, the cooperative intends to arrange a market conference to enhance the linkage between enterprises and farmers.

According to Mr. Le Ba Chieu, the Deputy Director of Lam Son Sugar Joint Stock Company, the company's leadership consistently prioritizes the development of innovative goods and the identification of sustainable long-term strategies. In a daring move five years ago, the company leased 200 hectares of farmland from farmers. The corporation agreed to pay a significantly higher price, up to 240 kg of rice per sao every year, in order to conduct experiments with different Japanese rice types such as J01, J02, J05, and others. In the end, J02 was selected due to its superior productivity, exceptional quality, and widespread market approval.

In 2023, brown rice milk was recognized as one of the top ten exceptional goods from Thanh Hoa province. The plant has a production capacity of 200 million boxes per year. However, due to the novelty of the product, only approximately 50 million boxes are being sold annually. This is attributed to the need for meticulous market research and the implementation of suitable approach tactics in the future.

An large expanse of land cultivated exclusively with the J02 rice type seems remarkably uniform and aesthetically pleasing. The rice plants exhibit minimal presence of empty grains or pests, and even close to the time of harvest, the leaves retain their green color, indicating a high level of robustness. The farmers are particularly enthusiastic since they sell newly harvested rice and calculate their earnings directly in the field, free from concerns about the need for drying or adverse weather conditions as they had in the past.

Significantly higher profits in comparison to numerous other varieties

Ms. Hoang Thi Hoa, the Director of the Hanoi Agricultural Development Center, stated that the sustainable approach to developing Japonica rice and high-quality commercial rice for export standards in the capital is to connect and include firms in the process of product consumption.

In the spring crop of 2024, the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development established 17 models for the production of J02 rice and high-quality rice in 16 communes across 8 districts: Thanh Oai, My Duc, Ung Hoa, Chuong My, Thach That, Soc Son, Me Linh, and Phu Xuyen. These models covered a total area of 650 hectares, which accounted for 50% of the planned area for 2024.

The variety structure consists of 285 hectares of J02 rice, accounting for 43.8% of the total area, 185 hectares of Dai Tho 8 rice, accounting for 28.5%, 90 hectares of TBR225 rice, accounting for 13.8%, and 60 hectares of HD11 rice, accounting for 9.2%. The J02 variety demonstrates an average productivity of 6.7 tons per hectare, but the Dai Tho 8, TBR225, and HD11 types exhibit an average output of 6.5 tons per hectare.

The J02 variety in the rice-fish farming model yields an average of 6.4 tons per hectare, while the Dai Tho 8 variety yields an average of 6.3 tons per hectare. When considering economic efficiency, after subtracting all expenses and labor, the J02 variety produces a yield of 32.74 million VND per hectare per crop. This is higher than other regularly planted varieties such as Khang Dan 18, which yields 27.9 million VND per hectare, and Bac Thom No. 7, which yields 17.4 million VND per hectare.

The economic efficiency of alternative high-quality rice varieties, such as Dai Tho 8, TBR225, and HD11, falls within the range of 17.4 to 23.9 million VND per hectare per crop. This is higher than Bac Thom No. 7 by 2 to 8.5 million VND per hectare and higher than Khang Dan 18 by 12 to 19 million VND per hectare per crop.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Hung, the Sales Director of Vietnam High-Tech Agriculture Seed - Material Joint Stock Company, which has the exclusive rights to produce the J02 rice variety, the market for commercial Japanese rice is highly favorable. The purchase price for fresh rice stands at 8,500 VND/kg, and the company guarantees that all the rice produced by farmers will be bought. In addition to its application in rice production, J02 provides added value in the production of sake, rice milk, rice cakes, rice oil, and other goods. It is initially sent to high-demand countries such as Japan and South Korea.

According to Mr. Nguyen Trong Khien, the Vice Chairman of Thanh Oai District People's Committee, the district has a total rice area of over 6,000 hectares. Out of this, more than 5,500 hectares are dedicated to high-quality rice cultivation. The high-quality rice is grown in four varieties: J02, Bac Thom No. 7, Dai Tho 8, and TBR225.