Farmers realize that 'burning straw is burning money'

The Southern Regional Office (National Agricultural Extension Center) recently coordinated with the Kien Giang Agricultural Extension Center and Phuong Nam Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. to evaluate a model of treating rice straw into fertilizer using Crowel M+ organic fertilizer combined with SUMITRI microbial product. Implemented in the Summer-Autumn rice crop of 2024 at Vinh Phu Agricultural - Farmer Cooperative, the model showed significant benefits. Farmers often burn rice straw after harvest, causing environmental pollution and soil degradation. This model helps farmers quickly decompose rice straw, creating organic fertilizer that supplements soil nutrients. Mr. Pham Xuan Hung, Director of Phuong Nam Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., stated that treating rice straw with SUMITRI produces nearly 5 tons of organic fertilizer per hectare, reducing chemical fertilizer use by 30% and pesticide spraying by 2-3 times. In the Summer-Autumn rice crop of 2024, fields treated with SUMITRI yielded up to 8.5 tons/ha of rice, with profits reaching nearly 47 million VND/ha, significantly higher than the control field's 33.2 million VND/ha. Farmers realized that burning rice straw is a waste of valuable resources. The success of the model has encouraged farmers to adopt this method for treating rice straw instead of burning. Giong Rieng district, with a large rice cultivation area, plans to replicate this model to promote sustainable agriculture and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The model aligns with the Project to develop 1 million hectares specializing in high-quality rice production with low emissions in the Mekong Delta by 2030.