“Planting rice is not only for rice, but also for selling carbon credits”

At this forum, agricultural experts provided information on carbon credits, affirming that they are a valuable resource for agricultural production but have not been exploited. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is currently consulting on completing the legal framework for the carbon credit market so that Vietnam can officially participate in the world carbon credit trading floor in 2024.

The speakers also answered questions related to solutions for high-tech agricultural production, smart agriculture, digital transformation in rice production, and towards participating in the carbon credit market. The goal is to bring smart rice production programs that adapt to climate change into the production process, creating carbon credits, a new source of profit from growing rice according to low-emission processes. Accordingly, the use of certified rice varieties (seeds that are multiplied from original varieties and meet standards and quality according to regulations: cleanliness > 99%, purity 99.7%, germination rate > 90%, humidity < 13.5%, number of weed seeds < 10 seeds/kg of seeds), reduce the amount of fertilizers, pesticides, use water economically... especially promote mechanization, apply smart technology, digital transformation.

Regarding digital economic activities, Hai Duong currently has about 45.7 hectares of greenhouses and net houses, mainly growing melons, Korean melons, vegetables, flowers; seedling nurseries... Many technical advances have been applied such as drip irrigation technology, sprinkler irrigation; supplying fertilizer through irrigation systems; using ventilation fans and temperature sensors to automatically regulate temperature; using LED light spectrum technology; applying digital technology... Typically, about 600 hectares of specialized vegetables have a camera surveillance system and automatic sensor devices connected to smartphones to control fertilization and automatic watering remotely, by the hour... Establishing and granting 305 growing area codes for domestic consumption and export, with related information updated on the database system. Two sensor systems and smart monitoring software in Thanh Ha and Thanh Mien districts automatically forecast weather, warn of natural disasters and pests on crops. The lychee export areas of Thanh Ha district and some rice areas in Ninh Giang, Tu Ky, Nam Sach, Thanh Mien districts, Hai Duong city... use drones to spray pesticides. The entire forest area has been digitized and updated on the software of the General Department of Forestry, combined with early warning of forest fires...

At the forum, representatives of the agricultural sector, agricultural extension forces, and agricultural services from the provincial to communal levels were also introduced by Dai Thanh Joint Stock Company (Bac Ninh) with a number of solutions, machinery, and equipment applying new technology for smart agricultural production such as a number of multi-purpose agricultural aircraft, automatic navigation devices for agricultural machines, remote control technology, multi-purpose robots in greenhouses; intelligent monitoring and management systems supporting traceability of agricultural products...

The agricultural sector also coordinates with businesses and solution providers for smart farming and climate change adaptation to build pilot models to generate carbon credits in several large specialized areas for rice and vegetable production.