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14/12/2018, THÁI BÌNH - Corteva Agriscience™ (Corteva), the agriculture division of DowDuPont, today unveiled its first Rice EduFarm in Vietnam with a curriculum which will also introduce a pioneering new hybrid rice cultivation model for local and the neighboring provinces’ farmers, towards improving their crop yield, investment performance and Vietnamese people’s life.
The Rice EduFarm in Thai Binh is the first development of its kind in Vietnam, and the inaugural farm school which Corteva is establishing including Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Hai Phong, Thai Binh, Dak Lak, Cao Bang and Lang Son. Twelve farm schools will be up and running in these seven key agricultural areas nationwide by end 2019. More than 6,000 domestic farmers will be enrolled next year to participate in Corteva’s on-field training programs where farmers will learn best practices in and how to effectively adopt the hybrid cultivation model to increase their crop yield and the investment performance.
Approximately 200 local farmers and key officials from MARD joined Corteva to celebrate this monumental occasion. There was an engaging dialogue on opportunities to enhance the current practice of hybrid rice cultivation adoption in Vietnam through the pioneering model being introduced by Corteva. Such progressive approaches to rice cultivation is currently being applied to a small 6.8 per cent of total rice area in the country.
“Across Asia Pacific, Corteva Agriscience’s focus is on enabling smallholder farmers to produce more and help put food on every table. We are also playing out part in supporting governments achieve their food self-sufficiency, national security, and environmental sustainability objectives”, said Mr. Sharad Khurana, Commercial Leader Peninsular & Thailand, Corteva Agriscience. “We are also working to identify suitable hybrids and develop a package of practice for direct seeded rice areas so that we are also able to extend this concept to other parts of Vietnam and entire ASEAN in future”.
At the kick-off event in Thai Binh, Mr. Trần Xuân Định – Deputy Head of Crop Production Department of Vietnam’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) shared, “MARD is very appreciative of Corveta Agriscience’s efforts to advance Vietnam’s agricultural landscape with Farm Schools teaching local farmers new hybrid rice cultivation practices. We share Corteva’s vision in shaping the future of agriculture with better food and and local farmers well-placed to flourish and contribute to the success of our local communities and economy alike.”
There has not been a high adoption rate of hybrid rice cultivation model in Vietnam to date due to numerous reasons including concerns of moderate rice quality, viability of long-term growth, and low yield returns for rice seeds priced at a premium. Corteva Agriscience, with centuries of experience in agriculture, is now offering farmers a safer, more comprehensive solution with its seven-step hybrid rice cultivation model which will address the challenges faced locally, and providing them greater value.
Corteva Agriscience’s EduFarm Project initiative and its introduction of a similar hybrid rice cultivation model has already been successfully implemented in India which has a similar agricultural environment to Vietnam. In India since 2014, the program has helped farmers achieve 15-20% food surplus gain, which translates into improved profitability for farms.
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About Corteva Agriscience
As the result of the bringing together of two organizations in Dow and DuPont that touch virtually every agricultural supply chain on the planet, Corteva Agriscience shares the same values of protecting the planet, respecting its people and providing the highest levels of integrity and transparency in all of our agricultural endeavors. Corteva Agriscience presents in more than 130 countries with more than 20,000 talented employees.
Media Contact
Uyen Huynh (Ms.)
Corteva Agriscience™
Agriculture Division of DowDuPont, Vietnam
+84 988 957 232
uyen.huynh@corteva.com
Yen Le (Ms.)
Ogilvy Vietnam
+84 969495 333
haiyen.le@ogilvy.com