Nguyen Thi Giang, deputy director of the city's Department of Agriculture and Environment, said work was being accelerated to ensure the plants were ready for the festival.
Around 30 staff and workers at Experimental Farm No. 1 under the Can Tho Agricultural Extension and Services Centre are preparing seedlings, soil and pots, as well as tending the plants and controlling pests.
The farm plans to grow about 30,000 pots in total to ensure sufficient plants for display and allow for losses during cultivation. Around 21,300 pots have so far been planted.
The rice is being grown at different stages of development to create a varied display. Around 18,000-19,000 pots will feature rice approaching maturity, while 2,000 will be at the flowering stage, 2,000 at the tillering to panicle initiation stages and another 2,000 at the seedling stage.
Around 300 larger pots of CTR and CT rice varieties are being prepared for the exhibition, including CTR1 and CTR30, which received plant variety protection certificates on September 4.
Pham Van Ut, head of Experimental Farm No. 1, said growing rice in pots required more meticulous care than conventional field cultivation.
Water, fertiliser and pruning must be closely managed to ensure each pot has a uniform appearance with nine to 16 panicles by the time it goes on display.
Around 15,000-16,000 pots have been moved into protected growing facilities to prevent damage from birds and rats and ensure stable growth.
The second Vietnam International Rice Industry Festival is scheduled to take place in Can Tho from November 23-26 under the theme 'Vietnam's Green Rice - Reaching the World'.
The four-day event will feature a 'Rice Road' exhibition, demonstrations of modern agricultural machinery, culinary competitions and international seminars on green rice, low-emission production and digital transformation.
The festival aims to promote green, low-emission rice production, innovation and the competitiveness of Vietnamese rice in international markets.
