Brian Jeffrey
Progress Update on Low-Emission Rice Farming in the Mekong Delta
The Department of Crop Production, in collaboration with the Soc Trang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, has evaluated the initial seven months of a pilot initiative aiming to cultivate one million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice in the Mekong Delta by the year 2030.
This initiative includes seven pilot low-emission farming models spread across three provinces in the Mekong Delta—Kien Giang, Soc Trang, and Tra Vinh—as well as Can Tho City.
The recently harvested summer-autumn rice across the 200 hectares of pilot projects yielded between 0.2 to 0.7 tons more per hectare compared to standard practices, while production costs were reduced by 14 to 20 percent.
In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, pilot models in Can Tho produced 12 tons of CO2 equivalent per hectare per crop, a significant decrease from traditional practices that involve continuous flooding of fields. In Soc Trang, the emissions savings were 4 tons per hectare, and in Tra Vinh, it was 5.4 tons.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Tran Thanh Nam mentioned that discussions are underway with TCAF (Transformative Carbon Asset Facility) regarding carbon credit payment mechanisms. This would lead to an official payment system submitted for government approval.
For the upcoming 2025 summer-autumn and 2025-2026 winter-spring crops, it is anticipated that the payment for carbon credits, approximating $20 million from TCAF, will be implemented, providing participating farmers an additional income from selling these credits.
Nam emphasized that the core goal of this low-emission rice farming initiative is to demonstrate tangible benefits such as cost reduction, emission cuts, and increased profits, rather than solely focusing on carbon credit sales.
Considering the promising results so far, Nam has instructed the Department of Crop Production to collaborate with local authorities to plan the winter-spring crop calendar.
Furthermore, the area for prior pilot projects, originally limited to 50 hectares, may be expanded.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is working alongside other sectors to establish five more pilot projects that will encompass at least 250 hectares dedicated to high-quality low-emission rice, continuing for three crop seasons: summer-autumn, autumn-winter, and winter-spring.
Vietnam boasts a total rice cultivation area of 7.1 million hectares.
