An agency under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has introduced a proposal to adopt three rice varieties as the standard for Vietnam-grown rice, causing an uproar as critics voiced concern over the options.

On Thursday, the agency in charge of agro-forestry, seafood, and salt production held a conference to solicit feedback from industry experts on the three types of rice it wants to set as the Vietnamese standards.

The agency suggested that all high-quality Vietnamese rice should follow the model of the Jasmine 85, Nang Hoa 9, and ST 21 rice varieties.

Vo Thanh Do, deputy head of the agency, said these varieties were chosen for their high yields.

Shortly after the agency’s announcement, a rice expert stood up and complained that one of the three proposed rice species is of Chinese origin.

Dr. Ho Quang Cua, a pundit known for breeding several ST rice varieties, said the real ST 21 lacks any of the features or properties described by the agency.

“The agency’s description of ST 21 is in fact similar to that of RVT, a Chinese rice variety,” Cua, a former deputy direct of the agriculture department of the southern province of Soc Trang, said at the conference.

Moreover, Cua added, his ST 21 variety has yet to be recognized and accepted for mass cultivation, so “it will be impossible to export ST 21 rice.”

The selection of the two remaining varieties also provoked negative feedback.

Jasmine 85 is a member of the Jasmine family, a U.S.-origin rice species, experts said at the conference.

In the meantime, the Nang Hoa 9 is bred from a combination of Jasmine and AS 96 varieties, which means it is a half-US variety.

“The three rice varieties proposed to be Vietnamese standard consist of one from China, one from the U.S., and a hybrid from the U.S.,” Pham Thai Binh, director of the rice firm Trung An Co. Ltd., said.

“If these selections are approved, it will be a shame for Vietnam’s rice industry.”

Do, the deputy head of the agro-forestry, seafood and salt production agency, said “it is a mistake” for a Chinese rice variety to be introduced under a locally-grown guise and the proposed to be Vietnamese standard.

“We will review this issue,” he said.

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