Vietnam ships first batch of low-emission rice to Japan

Can Tho, June 6 (VNA) – The first shipment of 500 tonnes of Vietnam’s low-carbon footprint rice set sail for Japan on June 5, marking the international debut of the rice produced under the initiative to cultivate one million hectares of low-emission and high-quality rice in the Mekong Delta (the one-million-hectare rice project).

At a ceremony in Thot Not district, Can Tho city, on June 5, the Vietnam Rice Industry Association (Vietrisa) and Trung An High-Tech Agriculture JSC celebrated the export of Japonica rice bearing the new eco-label and priced at 820 USD per tonne.

According to Chairman of Trung An High-Tech Agriculture JSC Pham Thai Binh, his company has partnered with Japan’s Murase Corporation to plant high-quality rice that meets Japanese standards throughout the Mekong Delta. The collaboration employs various Japanese rice varieties and follows a closed-loop farm-to-table approach.

The partnership expanded in 2024 and 2025 to incorporate emission reduction criteria into rice cultivation, aligning with the technical procedures outlined in the one-million-hectare rice project, he said.

Amidst increasing demand for clean, high-quality, and environmentally-friendly grain, the Trung An – Murase joint venture is planning to increase its growing area to meet Japan’s import needs. Besides, it will build a factory producing ready-to-eat rice products meeting Japanese standards while maintaining low-carbon footprints to serve both domestic consumption and export.

Binh said his company will ship some 200 tonnes of low-emission ST25 rice to Australia with the price of nearly 1,200 USD per tonne, adding about 400,000 tonnes of rice with low-emission certification will be sold to international markets this year, with Japan serving as the primary destination.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Tran Thanh Nam said the successful export of this first certified staple is the result of tireless collaboration among farmers, cooperatives, businesses, and agricultural authorities across the Mekong Delta.

Nam described the shipment as a new stride for the rice industry and the region in particular to shape up their rice cultivation methods that help improve rice quality and brand./.