Festival to drive national rice trade

ABO/NDO- Expanding the Festival of Vietnam Rice Industry internationally will make it possible to showcase the rice production potential, strength and quality, thereby driving national rice trade, heard a press conference in Ho Chi Minh City on December 1 to introduce the Vietnam International Rice Industry Festival - Hau Giang 2023 slated for December 11-14.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Trung said over the past years, Vietnam has achieved significant milestones in rice production, making a crucial contribution to ensuring national food security and maintaining its position as one of the world's leading rice exporting countries.

The festival will take place at a time when Vietnam is aiming to become a leading nation in the production of quality rice in a green and sustainable direction, he said.

Dong Van Thanh, Chairman of the Hau Giang provincial People's Committee, said the festival will be elevated to an international level for the first time this year with a series of exhibitions and seminars on a larger scale.

Harvesting rice in the Mekong Delta (Photo: VNA).

During the event, the Prime Minister will officially announce the approval of a project on the sustainable development of one million ha of high-quality rice cultivation with low emissions associated with green growth in the Mekong Delta by 2030, thus conveying the Vietnamese Government’s commitment to greenhouse gas emission reduction, which was declared by the PM at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, he said.

According to him, the festival will enable organisations, localities, businesses and farmers to access new production knowledge, technological advances and modern techniques applied in the overall agricultural digital transformation and specifically in rice production.

It will feature a wide range of activities, including seminars and contests which aim to arouse the desire to develop agriculture and rural areas.

There will be more than 700 booths showcasing products under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme, and culinary delicacies from rice and the introduction of various types of machines and drones that serve rice production.

One of the highlights of the festival is the Vietnamese rice journey from December 11 to January 3 which is arranged to show the development of the country’s rice cultivation from shortage of food to become the second rice exporting country in the world.

(Source: NDO)