Restructuring the Vietnamese Rice Sector: Towards Increasing Sustainability

Demont, Matty; Rutsaert, Pieter

doi:10.3390/su9020325

Cited by 64 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In 2016, Vietnam as a whole had 3.8 million ha of paddy land, producing over 40 million tons of unhusked rice, half of which came from the Delta. In the same year, Vietnam exported 4.5 million tons of milled rice worth USD 2 billion, 90% of which was produced in the Delta (Demont and Rutsaert 2017;Thang 2017). The planted area and yield of rice have increased over the past 20-30 years as irrigation and flood control have increased and as farmers have adopted high-yielding varieties (HYVs), increased fertiliser use, and small-scale mechanisation.…”

Section: Geography Of the Mekong Deltamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Despite this growth in area, yields, and production in the Delta, the rice sector faces several challenges (Nguyen, D. C. 2011). The focus has been on producing high-yield but low-quality rice, especially for the export market, with consequent low farm-gate prices (Demont and Rutsaert 2017). The use of inputs has increased, resulting in increased yields, but the net returns to rice farmers remain low (Berg et al 2017).…”

Section: Profile Of Rural Householdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Trends in Rice-Based Farming Systems in the Mekong Delta

Kien

Han

Cramb

2020

White Gold: The Commercialisation of Rice Farming in the Lower Mekong Basin

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Rice-based farming systems in the Mekong Delta have been transformed over the last four decades. Needing to boost rice production after 1975, the government increased investment in water control and irrigation and promoted intensification of rice farming through green revolution technology, leading to widespread adoption of double- and triple-cropping systems. As a result, the area of rice increased from 2.0 million ha in the late 1970s to 4.3 million ha in 2016. The yield of the wet-season crop increased from 2 t/ha in 1975 to 5.3 t/ha in 2016. Total paddy production increased from 4 million t in 1975 to 24.2 million t in 2016, the increase attributable equally to the increase in area and the increase in yields. From being a net importer of rice in the 1970s and 1980s, Vietnam exported 4.5 million t worth USD 2 billion in 2016, 90% of which was produced in the Delta. However, the focus on rice intensification has shifted since 2000 as the impacts on farmer livelihoods and the environment have become apparent. Locking farmers into producing low-quality rice for export has not provided adequate returns, especially as demand has shifted in favour of higher-quality rice and more diverse diets. Intensive use of fertilisers and pesticides has led to soil and water pollution and reduction in wild food supply. Moreover, the “total management” of hydrology in the Delta has had major impacts on water flows, sedimentation processes, aquatic species, and land-use options. In response, the government has progressively relaxed its restrictions on the use of paddy lands and rice-based farming systems have become more diversified, with the increased use of paddy lands for non-rice field crops, orchards, and freshwater and brackish-water aquaculture. The current policy promotes high-quality rice, reduced rice area, further diversification of farming systems, and promotion of agro-ecological and organic agriculture.

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Section: Geography Of the Mekong Deltamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Profile Of Rural Householdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in Rice-Based Farming Systems in the Mekong Delta

Kien

Han

Cramb

2020

White Gold: The Commercialisation of Rice Farming in the Lower Mekong Basin

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“…Agribusiness groups such as Loc Troi are aiming to establish a certified sustainable value chain, using Vietnam's Good Agricultural Practice (VietGAP) standard. However, according to Demont and Rutsaert (2017), there is limited demand for VietGAP-certified product, limiting the price incentive for farmers to comply. Moreover, the fragmented nature of the supply chain, with numerous small collectors as the first point of contact with farmers, makes monitoring of sustainable practices problematic.…”

Section: Specialisation In High-value Rice Productionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Issues of Rice Policy in the Lower Mekong Basin

Cramb

2020

White Gold: The Commercialisation of Rice Farming in the Lower Mekong Basin

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The commercialisation of rice farming in the Lower Mekong Basin has been at the centre of that region’s remarkable journey out of poverty and food insecurity since the 1970s. A development strategy that centred on opening rice farming to productivity-enhancing investments had the double effect of increasing the incomes of large numbers of poor rural households while generating a marketable surplus to supply the rapidly growing urban population at low prices. The growth in export demand further added to the incomes of rice farmers in the more productive parts of the Basin. Thus, a development pathway emerged that was driven by political necessity to be broadly based and inclusive. However, the very success of this pathway has created new policy issues, requiring adjustments in the long-term emphasis on the intensification of smallholder rice production. The growth in production has led to a decline in prices while costs have been increasing. This has led to pressure from rice farmers for price support. Related policy issues include the persistence of smallholdings, the growing preference for more diversified farming systems, the role of the processing and exporting sectors, and the changing physical environment in the Basin. This chapter examines policies influencing access to resources (specifically, to land, water, and technology), the management of farm activities (whether specialised in production of high-quality rice or diversified into production of non-rice crops), and the appropriation of value (as determined by interventions in the marketing and pricing of paddy and rice).

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“…These results suggest that the broad group of small rice growers is not benefiting from the rice exports, creating a socially unsustainable situation. Demont and Rutaert [7] explored the opportunities in the rice sector for sustainable value chain upgrading in Vietnam to guide the transition from a quantity-focused producer to a credible supplier of quality rice. Their results indicated three strategies for making rice value chains more sustainable: (i) embodying sustainability in the product through certified sustainable production labels; (ii) internalizing sustainable production standards through vertical coordination (e.g., contract farming); and (iii) disembodying sustainability through book-and-claim certificate trading.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Relationship between the Physical Quality of Rice and the Market Price: A Case Study in Savannakhet, Laos, Using a Bayesian Approach

et al. 2018

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The visual characteristics of rice grains play a primary role in determining the market price, and are used for grading systems in many rice-consuming countries. Laos is a rice-consuming country in Southeast Asia, but it does not have a functioning grading system. This study investigated the relationship between the physical quality of milled rice grains and the market price based on the Bayesian approach in Savannakhet, Laos. We collected 30 rice samples and their market prices from 12 shops, including imported rice from Thailand and Vietnam. The rice samples were scanned using a Grain Scanner, and the proportion of head rice (HR, %) was determined using physical traits (length, shape, color, etc.) based on the ‘Thai standard’ grading criteria. The relationship between the HR ratios and market prices was modeled with the Bayesian approach. For Laos’s product, the market price and HR ratio were lower than those for Thailand’s product. Based on the Bayesian framework, the results of Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations indicated that (1) the market price of Thailand’s product was mostly determined by the HR ratio, but other factors, such as aroma, were also suggested, especially in high-quality rice grains; (2) Laos’s product showed a positive correlation, but other factors had a greater influence on Laos’s product than Thailand’s product; and (3) no clear relationship was found in Vietnam’s product due to the limitation of a small number of samples, which was also considered a difference in consumer needs. These results indicated that the relationship between rice quality and market price for Laos’s product was unstable compared to that for Thailand’s product. To promote a more market-oriented agricultural sector, this pilot study has been broadened to examine other factors and extended to other cities or regions in Laos.

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Restructuring the Vietnamese Rice Sector: Towards Increasing Sustainability

Cited by 64 publications

References 22 publications

Trends in Rice-Based Farming Systems in the Mekong Delta

Trends in Rice-Based Farming Systems in the Mekong Delta

Issues of Rice Policy in the Lower Mekong Basin

The Relationship between the Physical Quality of Rice and the Market Price: A Case Study in Savannakhet, Laos, Using a Bayesian Approach

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