With the high determination of the Government, ministries, and localities and great potential for reducing emissions in rice production, Viet Nam is expected to be a pioneer in low-carbon rice production.
Rich in potential
The Mekong Delta region has great potential to reduce emissions in the rice chain. That is the assessment of the World Bank (WB) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD).
Specifically, if applying the sustainable rice farming process "1 requirement, 5 reductions" (ie: Must use certified rice varieties or original varieties that the local agriculture sector recommends for production and reduce fertilizers; reducing the use of pesticides, reducing the amount of irrigation water, reducing post-harvest losses and reducing the amount of seeds planted) for the Project of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission specialized rice that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is about to submit to the Prime Minister to help reduce emissions by about 4 - 6 million tons of CO2e per year.
Process and reuse straw to grow mushrooms and make fertilizer. It is estimated that each year the Mekong Delta produces about 30 million tons of straw. If this work is done well, it can reduce 1 - 2 million tons of CO2e/year. Reducing post-harvest and rice processing losses from 12 - 13% to 7 - 8% can help reduce emissions from 0.5 - 1 million tons of O2e/year.
Converting a part of an ineffective rice area (about 500,000 hectares) to other high-value, low-emission crops (such as forestry trees, perennial fruit trees), can reduce emissions by about 2 .5 - 3.5 million tons of CO2e/year.
Thus, if applied well, the above measures can help the Mekong Delta reduce 8 - 12 million tons of CO2e per year (an average of 10 million tons of CO2e) from the rice industry chain alone.
That means more than 1.4 million rice growing households in the Mekong Delta will directly benefit and reduce environmental pollution caused by intensive rice farming. If emissions reductions are reviewed and carbon credits are granted, farmers will have a significant source of income to reinvest in production and upgrade infrastructure to increase production efficiency.
Great expectations
WB experts say that if the project of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission specialized rice is implemented, Viet Nam will be one of the first countries to produce and export high-quality, low-emission rice in the world.
Viet Nam will also be one of the first countries to grant carbon credits to rice farmers, and receive carbon credit payments so farmers can enhance their income.
In the future, Viet Nam can maintain stable and effective rice cultivation land in the long term, ensure national food security goals, and improve the sustainability and competitiveness of the rice industry for decades to come.
To support Viet Nam in realizing the above goal, the WB has provided technical support to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in the process of building a project of 1 million hectares of high quality rice associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta. The WB also supports the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to access the Transformative Carbon Asset Facility (TCAF) managed by the WB. It is expected that the TCAF will approve 40 million USD to support the implementation of the Project of 1 million hectares of high quality rice associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta from 2024 - 2027. In the immediate future, priority will be given to implementation in areas that already have irrigation infrastructure that is relatively good. Currently, the WB will also seek other non-refundable funding sources, entrusted through the WB to support Viet Nam's transition towards a green and low-emission agriculture.
The WB and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) are also ready to commit to additional long-term ODA loans for the Mekong Delta to invest in areas that lack infrastructure and have not yet applied alternating flood and dry irrigation techniques. These loans will also support businesses to invest in modernizing and synchronizing the processing and logistics infrastructure of the rice supply chain, accessing and expanding the market for Viet Nam's low-emission rice products. .
Mr. Cao Thang Binh, senior agricultural expert at the World Bank, said that to build the low-emission Vietnamese Rice brand, the Government needs to soon synchronously plan areas specializing in quality, low-emission rice cultivation; Issue policies to support businesses participating in developing the high-quality, low-emission rice market. At the same time, build a credit program to support the chain of production, processing and consumption of high-quality, low-emission rice products between cooperatives and businesses. Access financial sources and international support to build a Measurement - Reporting - Verification (MRV) system as a basis for issuing carbon credits for rice areas that have applied emission-free rice production techniques. Building and organizing a team of staff to carry out the work of measuring and appraising carbon credits and building a mechanism for paying carbon credits, and have policies to support high-quality, low-emission rice brands.
Khanh An
| Loc Troi Group Joint Stock Company - the only unit in the world to achieve a score of 100 for 4 consecutive years of the World Standards for Sustainable Rice Production (SRP), according to the assessment of the Rice Research Institute world rice IRRI. Currently, Loc Troi's project to establish carbon credits has been submitted to the evaluation and appraisal system of the Gold Standard organization (The Gold Standard). The business's goal in establishing carbon credits is a 'Green Profile' for rice exports to the European and American markets. When 'Carbon Tax' legislation comes into force in 2025 in these countries, a green manufacturing profile is a major advantage in export competition. |