(VAN) In the first trial production season, the pure rice variety Ngoc Nuong 9 demonstrated its advantages of easy cultivation, high yield, and a profit of over 45 million VND/ha.

A trial run, but real success

As the sharp cutting blades of the combine harvester glided across the rice field, leaving behind sacks of freshly harvested grain, Mr. Tran Van Phuong, a farmer from Xeo Tram Hamlet, Son Binh Commune, Hon Dat District, Kien Giang Province, stood on the field’s edge with a satisfied smile. This rice crop was a complete success, both a bumper harvest and a good price, thanks to the high-quality new variety, Ngoc Nuong 9, being trial-produced.

With years of rice farming experience, he could estimate the yield just by looking at the golden fields, without waiting for the harvested rice to be weighed. The selling price had already been agreed upon with the purchasing company at 9,000 VND/kg.

The pure rice variety Ngoc Nuong 9, trial-produced in Hon Dat District, has shown good adaptability, yielding over 8 tons per hectare and providing high income for farmers. Photo: Trung Chanh.

Although Mr. Tran Van Phuong resides in Son Binh Commune, his 14-hectare rice field is located in Thai Tan Hamlet, My Thai Commune (Hon Dat), divided into two adjacent plots. In the 2024-2025 winter-spring crop, he participated in the trial production of the entire area using the pure rice variety Ngọc Nương 9, supplied by the Vietnam National Seed Corporation (Vinaseed).

'The winter-spring crop is the most important of the year, yet you decided to trial a new rice variety on such a large scale. Wasn’t that a bit risky?' I asked.

Mr. Phuong smiled and replied that Vinaseed staff had introduced him to the Ngoc Nuong 9 variety during the 2024 summer-autumn season. He had already tested it on a small area following seed production protocols before expanding to a larger scale.

The pure rice variety Ngoc Nuong 9 belongs to the fragrant, long-grain rice group, offering high-quality rice with soft, sticky texture, rich flavor, and a distinctive aroma. Photo: Trung Chanh. 

Moreover, before the production season began, the company committed to supplying all necessary inputs, including seeds, fertilizers, and plant protection products, with costs deducted only at the end of the season. Throughout the crop cycle, the company's technical staff regularly visited the fields, providing advice and technical support. At harvest, the company guaranteed to purchase the entire yield. This arrangement provided multiple benefits for farmers. They didn’t need to invest upfront, didn’t have to worry about market demand, and could focus on achieving high yields, ensuring a successful season.

According to Mr. Phuong, production results have shown that the pure rice variety Ngoc Nuong 9 adapts well to local natural conditions, is easy to cultivate, has strong resistance to pests and diseases, and delivers relatively high yields. In fact, in the 2024-2025 winter-spring crop, harvested fields yielded over 8 tons per hectare (fresh paddy weighed directly in the field). Notably, this variety produces firm, heavy grains, meaning that even when counted by the number of sacks, the actual weight often exceeds similar varieties by 100 - 200 kg per hectare.

More choices for farmers

The pure rice variety Ngoc Nuong 9, developed and selected by Vinaseed, has already been distributed in the northern region and is currently undergoing trial production in southern provinces to expand its nationwide circulation.

According to Mr. Le Canh Binh, Deputy Director of Production at Vietnam National Seed Corporation (Vinaseed), Ngoc Nuong 9 has been trial-produced outside of household farms in the Mekong Delta region for two consecutive seasons of the 2024 summer-autumn and the 2024-2025 winter-spring crops.

Ngoc Nuong 9 has a growing period of 102 - 105 days in the summer-autumn season and 107–110 days in the winter-spring season. Its yield ranges from 6.5 - 7 tons per hectare in the summer-autumn season and 8 - 8.5 tons per hectare in the winter-spring season (fresh paddy).

Vinaseed's technical staff and farmers assess the quality and yield of the pure rice variety Ngoc Nuong 9 during the trial production in the 2024-2025 winter-spring crop in Hon Dat district. Photo: Trung Chanh.

Practical field production results show that the pure rice variety Ngoc Nuong 9 possesses outstanding advantages such as good growth and development, high resistance to pests and diseases, strong stalks resistant to lodging, and suitability for mechanized farming. The variety has wide adaptability, making it suitable for various ecological regions and cropping seasons throughout the year.

According to Mr. Le Canh Binh, Vinaseed's goal in breeding Ngoc Nuong 9 was to develop a pure rice variety with high-quality grains, soft and sticky rice, a rich flavor, and a distinctive fragrance. Additionally, the variety is easy to cultivate, offers high yields, and enhances economic efficiency. When introduced into production, it provides farmers with more options in their rice variety structure.

"In the trial production phase, to ensure farmers' confidence, in addition to supplying seeds, materials, and cultivation guidelines, the company also commits to purchasing the entire commercial rice output at the highest price compared to other varieties in the same segment (fragrant, long-grain rice) in the regional market while ensuring comparable yields," Mr. Le Canh Binh stated.

$ 1 = VND 25.370 - Source: Vietcombank.

Source: Báo Nông Nghiệp Việt Nam (Vietnam Agriculture)