Harvesting rice in the Mekong Delta (Photo: VNA)

HCM City (VNA) - Expanding the Festival of Vietnam RiceIndustry internationally will make it possible to showcase the rice productionpotential, strength and quality, thereby driving national rice trade, heard a pressconference in Ho Chi Minh City on December 1 to introduce the VietnamInternational Rice Industry Festival - Hau Giang 2023 slated for December11-14.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment Hoang Trung said over the past years, Vietnam has achievedsignificant milestones in rice production, making a crucial contribution toensuring national food security and maintaining its position as one of theworld's leading rice exporting countries.

The festival will take place ata time when Vietnam is aiming to become a leading nation in the production ofquality rice in a green and sustainable direction, he said.

Dong Van Thanh, Chairman of the Hau Giang provincial People'sCommittee, said the festival will be elevated to an international level for thefirst time this year with a series of exhibitions and seminars on a largerscale.

During the event, the Prime Minister will officially announcethe approval of a project on the sustainable development of one million ha ofhigh-quality rice cultivation with low emissions associated with green growth inthe Mekong Delta by 2030, thus conveying the Vietnamese Government’s commitmentto greenhouse gas emission reduction, which was declared by the PM at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties, he said.

According to him, the festival will enableorganisations, localities, businesses and farmers to access new productionknowledge, technological advances and modern techniques applied in the overallagricultural digital transformation and specifically in rice production.

It will feature a wide range of activities,including seminars and contests which aim to arouse the desire to developagriculture and rural areas.

There will be more than 700 booths showcasingproducts under the One Commune One Product (OCOP) programme, and culinarydelicacies from rice and the introduction of various types of machines anddrones that serve rice production.

One of the highlights of the festival is theVietnamese rice journey from December 11 to January 3 which is arranged to showthe development of the country’s rice cಌultivation from shortage of food tobecome the second ric💦e exporting country in the world./.