Soc Trang honors “World’s Best Rice” award winner
Soc Trang honors “World’s Best Rice” award winner
The government of Soc Trang Province held a ceremony on November 25 to honor and reward a research team that won the top prize at the World’s Best Rice competition for their rice variety ST25.
The rice variety was crossbred by the three-member team of two agriculture engineers Ho Quang Cua and Nguyen Thi Thu Huong, and Dr Tran Tan Phuong. It was crowned the world’s best rice on November 12.
Addressing the ceremony, Tran Van Chuyen, chairman of the province, praised the team for their contribution to the local agricultural sector. He added that the achievement is not only the pride of Soc Trang but also the whole rice industry in the Mekong Delta region.
Ho Quang Cua, on behalf of the team, expressed his special thanks to local authorities and scientists for supporting the team, especially Prof. Vo Tong Xuan, an agricultural expert in the delta.
According to the chairman, the rice farming area in this Mekong Delta province reaches over 350,000 hectares, with the total rice yield reaching two million tons per year, including one ton of specialty rice.
Before a project to develop specialty rice was launched, the province’s rice farming land had been modest, said Huynh Ngoc Van, deputy director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Specifically, the total rice farming acreage had been only 66,000 hectares as of 2012, Van said.
When the project’s first phase ended in 2015, the total rice yield exceeded 126,000 tons, doubling the figure seen in 2012.
This year, the province’s production of specialty rice totaled one million tons, up 20% against the project’s target.
The World’s Best Rice contest was hosted by The Rice Trader, a publication providing in-depth analysis of the global rice industry.
The best rice was reportedly selected by a group of international chefs, who examined the appearance, fragrance and taste of the cooked rice.
This was the first time that Vietnam had won the highest award at the contest. Meanwhile, Thailand has won this title five times, followed by Cambodia (four times), the United States (twice) and Myanmar (once).
