Hai Duong protects high-yield, high-quality rice areas

Regional planning

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Bon's family in Cong Khe village, Kim Lien commune (Kim Thanh) cultivates 1 acre of rice field. Every year, in the spring crop, Mrs. Bon cultivates all TBR 225 rice, and in the summer crop, she cultivates glutinous rice. According to Mrs. Bon, cultivating 1 rice variety on a large area brings many benefits because it is possible to visit the fields, spray pesticides, and harvest at the same time. This saves time and effort while both rice varieties give high yields and sell for good prices. "I have experimented with cultivating several rice varieties, but TBR 225 has high yields, and glutinous rice has been sold for good prices for the past few years," said Mrs. Bon.

Kim Lien commune currently has over 300 hectares of agricultural land. The commune plans nearly 200 hectares for high-yield, high-quality rice cultivation in 5 villages (except Co Phuc Bac and Luong Xa Bac villages because the land has been reserved for industrial development). To improve the efficiency of rice cultivation, the People's Committee of Kim Lien commune encourages people to focus on 2 varieties: TBR 225 and sticky rice.

Mr. Nguyen Van Giao, Vice Chairman of Kim Lien Commune People's Committee, said that in the spring crop of 2024, TBR 225 rice yielded nearly 74 quintals/ha, 6 quintals/ha higher than the average yield of the district. For glutinous rice varieties, depending on the type, the yield is from 45 - 47 quintals/ha. Although the yield of glutinous rice is not high, the selling price is from 15,000 - 18,000 VND/kg of fresh rice, nearly twice as high as that of ordinary rice, so farmers plant it during the crop season.

An Thanh is planned to have 5 high-yield, high-quality rice areas with an area of ​​over 445 hectares, the largest in Tu Ky district. The reason why the locality is planned to have such a large rice growing area is because this area has more advantages than other areas. To have rươi and cay, people are not allowed to use pesticides or toxic chemicals, so the rice here is cultivated using organic, safe methods, which is favored by consumers. The value of An Thanh's rice is high when the locality has produced ST 25 rice with a selling price of over 60,000 VND/kg, which is the type of rice with the highest selling price in Hai Duong at this time.

Protect "rice fields and honey fields"

Hai Duong is a key agricultural production area in the Red River Delta. To serve industrialization and economic development, Hai Duong's agricultural land area from 2020 to 2024 has decreased by 1,678 hectares, from 105,313 hectares to 103,635 hectares. Of which, rice land has decreased by over 1,536 hectares, to 57,445 hectares; perennial crop land has decreased by nearly 126 hectares, to 20,382 hectares; production forests have decreased by nearly 13 hectares, to 2,923 hectares...

Implementing Decree No. 112/2024/ND-CP dated September 11, 2024 of the Government detailing regulations on rice-growing land, the People's Committee of Hai Duong province requires localities to compile statistics on high-yield and high-quality rice areas to take protection measures. The Provincial People's Committee has approved the planning area for high-yield and high-quality rice cultivation in the period 2025 - 2030 with an area of ​​8,984.51 hectares. Of which, Kim Thanh has the largest area with 2,190 hectares, Tu Ky nearly 1,400 hectares, Ninh Giang 860 hectares...

In planned areas, the Provincial People's Committee requires not to change the structure of crops and livestock, and prioritize investment in irrigation and traffic works to facilitate farmers' planting and harvesting of rice.

Planning high-yield, high-quality rice areas is one of the important measures to protect "rice fields and honey fields", so it is agreed and supported by professional agencies and localities. Mr. Nguyen Tien Trang, Head of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection (Department of Agriculture and Environment) said that according to regulations, people and localities are not allowed to arbitrarily change the structure of crops and livestock on rice-growing land in areas planned for high-yield, high-quality rice cultivation. This is an important regulation because in recent years, more and more agricultural land has been converted to build industrial infrastructure, services, and residential areas. Without strict protection measures, this area will be lost, affecting agricultural production and food safety of the people.

To protect the rice-growing areas with high productivity and quality, in recent times, Kim Thanh district has supported seeds, fertilizers, and organized training courses for farmers to improve their knowledge and experience, thereby increasing the value of agricultural production for people in these areas.

Tu Ky district focuses on investing in agricultural infrastructure. In recent times, the district and all levels and sectors have invested funds to build a basic irrigation and drainage system to ensure good service for agricultural production. Roads to the fields are also paved with concrete, creating convenience for people in traveling as well as transporting goods. The district has built and renovated Soi, An Lao 3 culverts (An Thanh commune) and Leu Vit culverts (Quang Trung commune)... contributing significantly to the development of local agriculture.

With an important role in agricultural production, the government and local people in planned areas will protect and preserve high-yield, high-quality rice areas to contribute to ensuring food security and increasing farming efficiency.