Vietnam is still quite cautious about growing new hybrid rice varieties
Nguyen Thanh Can, Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said the new hybrid rice was found growing in a 2,000 square metre plot in Hamlet 5 of Go Cong Township’s Binh Xuan Commune.
According to Can, Nguyen Duc Man, General Director of Pioneer Hi-Bert Vietnam Limited Company had rented the fields of local man Nguyen Van Viet to pilot the new rice.
After detecting the case, the department met with Man and Viet to clarify their responsibilities.
Man said that the new hybrid rice varieties were from Indonesia and the Philippines and were licensed for import to Vietnam last May by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)’s Plant Protection Department.
Man said he hadn’t realised that Tien Giang Province had a ban on test planting, as 24 other cities and provinces were allowed to conduct such projects.
“Even though the new hybrid rice has no negative effects, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has requested communal officials to strictly monitor the new rice fields and the harvesting process. We’ll report the case to MARD,” Can added.
Vietnam is still quite cautious about growing new hybrid rice varieties as they force farmers to depend on seed rice providers as F2 seeds are not capable of germinating.
Two Vietnamese rice specialists recently faced fines for leasing land to pilot the growth of a new rice variety sourced from China in Long An Province without applying for approval from local authorities.
