A ceremony took place in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang on May 22 to start a sustainable development project targeting one million hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice linked to green growth in the region.

At the ceremony in Soc Trang on May 22, companies and enterprises signs a memorandum of understanding for cooperation in rice production and consumption with the Hung Loi Agricultural Cooperative, which is piloting 50 hectares of rice under the project. (Photo: baosoctrang.org)

Soc Trang (VNA) – A ceremony took place in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang on May 22 to start a sustainable development project targeting one million hectares of high-quality and low-emission rice linked to green growth in the region.

Soc Trang is one of five provinces chosen by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) to pilot this project. According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, it is set to be implemented across nine local districts, towns, and cities. The goal is to achieve 38,500 hectares of the grain by 2025 and 72,000 hectares by 2030.

Speaking at the ceremony, Le Thanh Tung, Deputy Director of the MARD’s Department of Crop Production, stated that the project aims to reorganise the production system according to value chains, apply sustainable farming practices to enhance value, improve production efficiency, increase income and living standards for farmers, protect the environment, and adapt to climate change, among others.

Vuong Quoc Nam, Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said that Soc Trang has approximately 146,000 hectares of paddies. Their annual yield exceeds 2 million tonnes, of which high-quality rice accounts for over 97%.

He emphasised that the project presents an opportunity for the local agricultural sector to further develop and for farmers to adopt new, sustainable cultivation methods.

VNA

Published Date: May 22, 2024