The Vietnam-Hau Giang International Rice Festival 2023 opened in Hau Giang Province, located in the Mekong Delta region, on Tuesday evening, opening up opportunities to promote the potential and strengths of the local rice industry to the world.

The four-day event is expected to enable Vietnam to convey a message to the world that this Southeast Asian nation is responsible for global food security and food production.

Addressing the opening ceremony, held at Hoa Binh Square in the provincial capital city of Vi Thanh, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan said that Vietnam has thrived as one of the global top rice exporters in terms of quality and quantity.

The rice value chains need to be more adaptable to climate change, market fluctuations, and consumer behavior changes to achieve sustainable growth, he elaborated.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in his online speech delivered from Hanoi said the festival is aimed at promoting the image of Vietnam and its hospitable and hard-working people as well as popularize the country’s long-standing rice-farming culture.

Vietnam is also the first country to initiate a project on developing one million hectares of rice fields, with a focus on high-quality and low-emission rice cultivation to improve the income and life quality of rice farmers.

The program demonstrates Vietnam’s responsibility toward the international community in adopting efforts to cope with climate change and build a low-carbon agriculture industry, PM Chinh said.

Prior to the opening ceremony, thousands of tourists and local residents thronged an exhibition entitled ‘Vietnam Rice Road’ held in this southern province, as part of the fest.

Nguyen Thi Thu Thuy, a local resident, said that a rice road made out of some 2,000 pots of rice left a significant impression on her.

Her memories came flooding back as she saw miniatures associated with rice-growing activities at the expo, Thuy said and expressed her hope that the province would host more festivals like this to promote the culture and people of Hau Giang.

Aside from the exhibition, the festival organizer on Tuesday morning held a ceremony to launch a project on the sustainable development of one million hectares of rice fields specializing in high-quality rice cultivation and low emissions, in line with the delta’s green growth in the 2021-30 period, with a vision toward 2050.

The international rice festival incorporates many other exhibitions and workshops on OCOP products, rice value chains, as well as global rice markets and trends.

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