In the morning of the 14th December, at Truong Xuan commune, Thap Muoi district, Vietnam National Seed Corporation (VINASEED) held the inauguration of the Dong Thap Industrial centre for seeds and agricultural products processing. 

The event was attended by the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh, leaders of the Department of Crop Production, the Department of Plant Protection, Agro Processing and Market Development Authority, the National Agriculture Extension Center, Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute as well as related local authorities, scientists and agricultural experts.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ms. Tran Kim Lien, Chairwoman and CEO of Vinaseed said Vinaseed was established in 1986 as an independent company under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and has now become the leading company in the Vietnam seed industry. In 2019, the company’s production reached 85 thousand tons of seeds, equivalent to a cultivation area of 1 million ha. Its revenue was VND 1,605 billion, of which scientific and technological products accounted for 80%, equal to VND 1,200 billion and making up 20% of the national market share. It has owner equity of VND 1,052 billion and experiences an average annual growth of 30-40%.

During the period from 2014 to 2019, Vinaseed has invested VND 1,510 billion; of which 300 billion has been in research and technology transfer, and 1,200 billion has been into the industrialization of seed production and business expansion.

It is significant and impressive that Vinaseed now has 4 varieties in the Top 10 most cultivated rice varieties in Vietnam, including 2 fragrant rice varieties RVT and Dai Thom 8. It is of further import that the Dai Thom 8 variety has accounted for 18 % Mekong Delta rice export after only 2 years of recognition.

In order to contribute to the restructuring of Vietnam's rice industry up to 2020 and with a vision to 2030, Vinaseed's Board of Directors has decided to invest in the project of seed and agricultural product processing centre in Dong Thap province. It is a big centre in the Mekong Delta, incorporating applied technology 4.0 and equipped with automated processing lines imported from Japan. The total investment in the first phase was VND 350 billion, and it can process 100,000 tons of rice and 50,000 tons of seeds per year. The modern technology helps to retain natural flavours from the products, and ensures the rice and seeds meet the rigorous international safety standards. 

Vinaseed always commits to achieve 3 goals: maintaining sustainable economic growth, implementing social responsibility and protecting the environment. It strives to bring out its full potential and resources and use the latest technology to create the best products for consumers all around Vietnam. 

In order to manage and operate the centre, Vinaseed has officially established Vietnam Rice Company Limited (Vinarice) with three main objectives: variety breeding research, seed production focusing on rice exports for the 13 provinces in the Mekong Delta – the biggest rice producer in Vietnam and to increase the use of quality-certified rice varieties among farmers to 75%, thus improving their income by 30%. The centre concentrates on producing varieties that are highly resistant to climate changes and pests and meet international standards regarding quality and safety. 

Vinaseed’s success was contributed to by the trust and support of related government agencies from central to local levels, suppliers, contractors, customers and especially the PAN Group.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hung, Vice Chairman of Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee said Dong Thap is the third-largest province regarding rice production in the Mekong Delta, producing 3.5 million tons per year on average. The opening Dong Thap Industrial Centre for Seed and Agricultural Product Processing, the most modern and largest one in the Mekong Delta, has great significance for the province and the whole region. It creates joys for local people, helps to change the farming practices of the farmers, and eventually stops the habit of using unqualified rice seeds to improve the quality of Vietnamese rice products. 

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Quoc Doanh emphasized that the Mekong Delta is the main agricultural producing and exporting region of Vietnam, especially rice, fruit and seafood products. Particularly for rice, the Mekong Delta produces 25 million tons of rice annually, accounting for 60% of Vietnam’s production and over 90% of export produce. In recent years, the rice industry in the region has undergone dramatic changes and achieved remarkable results. However, there have been many difficulties and challenges which are affecting the efficiency, sustainability and competitiveness. One of the most critical drawbacks is the quality of seeds and rice products. In order to overcome the constraints, besides the efforts of local authorities and farmers, it is necessary to have more involvement from the private sector, especially enterprises with high financial potential and rich experience in rice production like Vinaseed.

The opening of the centre will complete the rice value chain applied 4.0 technology from seed selecting, producing, harvesting, and processing to product distributing. It is fundamental to form large-scale specialized production areas associated with processing, preserving seeds, producing and trading branded rice products. The main areas that could meet the domestic and export demand. The project contributed to the implementation of the overall program of sustainable agricultural development to adapt to climate change in the Mekong Delta.