Raising the level of Thanh rice

Raising the level of Thanh Hoa rice

Ngu Phuc rice product of Thieu Phuc Agricultural Service Cooperative, Thieu Hoa commune achieved 3-star OCOP certification.

Along with developing high-quality concentrated rice production areas and linking with enterprises to purchase products, Thieu Vien Agricultural Service Cooperative, Thieu Trung commune has successfully built Van Dai rice products that meet 3-star OCOP standards by 2023. Currently, with 50 hectares of concentrated rice production, each year the cooperative supplies about 250 tons of rice to domestic and foreign markets. Thanks to compliance with safe production processes and standards, OCOP-standard rice has a higher selling price than mass production. Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director of Thieu Vien Agricultural Service Cooperative Le Ba Dung said: "Compared to mass rice production, commercial rice products produced according to the OCOP cycle are consumed at a higher price. Therefore, the average profit will be 24 to 32 million VND/ha higher than traditionally produced rice".

According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Environment, Thanh Hoa province cultivates an average of about 220 thousand hectares of rice per year, of which the area of intensive, high-yield, high-quality rice cultivation alone is over 150 thousand. The total rice output of the whole province is about 1.4 million tons per year. Along with that, in recent years, when market demand has changed towards focusing on quality, cooperatives in the province have proactively grasped the trend to guide and encourage people and cooperative members to invest in organic rice production, VietGAP, and emission reduction. Director of Thieu Phuc Agricultural Service Cooperative, Thieu Hoa Commune, Truong Van Tuan said: “The current market prioritizes using high-quality rice products, produced according to standard processes and environmentally friendly. Therefore, we orient people to produce rice according to VietGAP standards and OCOP cycles to increase product value. The Cooperative has built a production area for pearl rice variety 9 with an area of 30 hectares/crop to build the OCOP brand. In 2023, the Cooperative will have Ngu Phuc rice products that achieve OCOP 3 stars, widely consumed in the market with an output of about 100 tons of rice/year”.

It is known that when Thieu Phuc Agricultural Service Cooperative successfully built the OCOP product Ngu Phuc rice, the economic value per hectare of production was increased. At the same time, a new production mindset was formed, increasing the application of safety processes in agricultural production among local people. Currently, the output of OCOP certified rice and most of the rice output of the local safe production area have been jointly purchased by a number of enterprises such as: Tam Phu Hung Company Limited, Dung Thuan Food Company Limited.

According to statistics, Thanh Hoa province currently has 19 rice products that meet OCOP standards such as: Cay Noi sticky rice, Tien Son Ha Linh sticky rice, Gia Mieu Ngoai Trang yellow sticky rice, Tien Son No. 3 rice, Van Dai rice, Hoa Minh rice, Ngoc Trai rice, Ngu Phuc rice... most of which are rice products of agricultural cooperatives. Building OCOP products from high-quality rice products, linking production with processing and consumption has created conditions to increase the value of farmers' rice. Director of Xuan Minh Agricultural and Rural Development Cooperative Do Thi Hoa said: "After successfully building Hoa Minh rice products that meet 3-star OCOP standards, consumption is more favorable. The products are included in the consumption chain in collective kitchens in the area with high and stable prices. Thereby creating trust and excitement among cooperative members".

Currently, agricultural production in general, rice production in the province is gradually shifting from "quantity" to "quality". The criteria for high-quality rice and rice production processes are increasingly standardized by localities, cooperatives and people according to VietGAP standards and processed rice products are produced to ensure food hygiene and safety.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial Cooperative Union Le Hong Hai said: "To contribute to enhancing the value and brand of rice products, the Provincial Cooperative Union has encouraged cooperatives to increase the use of high-quality rice varieties and organize production according to the "large field" model associated with processing and consumption, promote the application of high-tech production processes, mechanization... to improve rice productivity and quality. At the same time, invest in building packaging, labels and traceability codes for rice products to create trust with consumers, thereby affirming the reputation and quality of Thanh Hoa rice products."

Article and photos: Le Thanh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/nang-tam-hat-gao-xu-thanh-259646.htm