Untill now Vietnam has been being an agricultural nation with the rice production as a majority. Although, the urbanization process is rapidly proceeding and the rice producing area has been reduced, the annual rice output is kept rising to more than 1 million tons and the annual rice export quantity is also kept rising to the same. In 2008, the rice output reached more than 38 million tons and the rice export quantity reached 5 million tons. In 2009, the rice export quantity can be over 6 million tons. Vietnam is ranking 13th for population and 5th for rice producing area, but 2nd for the largest rice export in the world. Vietnamese rice has been exported to 120 countries and territories, accounting for 15% of the global rice market share.
However, the fact of “good crop, bad price” keeps on existing; the rice is still exported at low price and to unstable markets. As a result, the life and income of rice producers is still hard. Vietnam has been reaching a big quantity of rice export, but gaining small profit. Potentiality and strength of the rice production of Vietnam have yet to be introduced and largely known in the world. The Vietnamese rice brand has yet to be built in line with export requirments and potentiality and advantages of Vietnam rice.
In such above situation, it is thought that the Central Government and local authorities need to take more synchronized solutions, in which there should be much more activities that can provide conditions for meeting and exchanging so as to push up producing, processing and trading rice, and then to proceed with and realize investment cooperation and business agreements.
In recent years, there have been some festivals in Vietnam, such as: Coffee Festival, Flower Festival, Sea Festival, Hue Festival, Gong Festival, etc. In the coming time, there will be Cashew Festival, etc.
Festival will be a series of combined activities, making a destination and a bridge connecting thoughts, innitiatives, and wishes for Vietnam rice, as a part in the desire to further the prestige and trademark of Vietnam rice and enable Vietnamese rice grains to be more competitive.
Thinking as above, Hau Giang has exchanged with and has asked for opinions from and has been supported by central ministries, related agencies, leaders of Ha Noi city, Ho Chi Minh city, Mekong Delta provinces, and then has been approved by the Prime Minister for organizing the first Vietnam Rice Festival in Hau Giang from 28th November to 2nd December 2009.
The festival is an economic, cultural, and social event, first ever held in Hau Giang - a province in the center of Mekong Delta, the country’s largest granary. The festival is organized along Xa No Canal that used to be considered as the rice road of Hau Giang region and as one of the first places in the Southern part of Vietnam exporting rice to the world. In 1913, Hau Giang region exported more than 1 million tons of rice, and since 1928 there have been rice storage halls with capacity of more than 100.000 tons in Hậu Giang.
The main purpose of the festival is to honour the wet rice and the wet-rice civilization that was originated from Southeast Asia; at the same time to honour rice growers and those whose merit in exporting Vietnamese rice to the world; to advertise potentiality and strong points in rice production of Vietnam; and to make the trademarks of Vietnam rice more renowned on the world market, by these giving a good contribution to implementation of the Central Party’s Resolution on agriculture, farmers, rural areas.
The festival is recognized by Ha Noi as one of the important events in the run-up for the celebration of Thang Long - Hanoi 1000th anniversary.
The festival is held with subjects as “For the task of development of agriculture, farmers and rual areas”, expected to attract the participation of provinces, cities, enterprises operating in rice production and trade, and enterprises in industries supporting for rice production nationwide.
The festival will gather representatives of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), and the countries that have been in rice partnership with Vietnam and that are expected to advertise their rice producing technologies, attend the workshops, go for sightseeing, learn about the wet-rice cultivation, investigate markets, negotiate and enter into business agreements.
The festival activities are scheduled to take place at the same time and consecutively before, during and after the opening time, and that have been supported to broadcast on the Vietnam Televison (VTV1, VTV2, VTV4, and VTV9), the Voice of Vietnam Radio (VOV), VTC, Hanoi TV, HTV(s), provincial televisions nationwide, and on many of the prestigious newspapers (all in role of the festival’s information and communication sponsors).
The festival consists of about 20 activities, in which there are the main activities, including Opening and Closing ceremonies that are composed to represent the specific art values of Mekong Delta in connection with the wet-rice civilization, and the cultural characters of the Vietnamese nation; and four workshops (international workshop on “Vietnam rice - Export and Integration”, and three others on: Investment promotion, Xa No canal - the rice road of Hau Giang region and Vietnam rice crops). Regarding exhibition, there are 550 booths (including 270 booths of the enterprises operating in rice production and trade, and the enterprises in industries supporting for rice production, 92 booths of provinces and cities nationwide, and 188 booths for Vietnamese commodities for rural areas); and there are indoor exhibition and a 1800m2 outdoor area for representation of various kinds of wet rice (living plants) by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Within the festival center layout, Hanoi will organize an exhibition area to introduce the celebration of Thang Long - Hanoi 1000th anniversary and the achievements in agricultural production and industries supporting for rice production of the Capital. Ho Chi Minh City will do the same to present its activities related to rice and food security of the city.
Other activities are including: procession delegation with 119 decorated cars and motorcycles from ministries, cities, provinces, CaravanViet and Vietnam Car Forum; recognition ceremony of the Works for celebration of Thang Long - Ha Noi 1000th anniversary; Mekong Delta Khmer boat (ghe Ngo) racing (18 teams); food and drink festival (180 pavilions); Southern amateurs’ traditional music party (16 teams); “Ao Ba Ba” charming contest; Performance “Hau Giang towards to Thang Long - Ha Noi 1000th anniversary” by Thanh Long - Ha Noi Dance and Song Ensemble and Hau Giang General Performance Ensemble (live bridged on Hanoi Television); fireworks performance; Unicorn - Lion - Dragon performance; the final of “Nationwide good farming supporter” contest, prize presentation for farmers with special initiatives for agricultural production of Vietnam, prize presentation for Corporate Trademarks and Product Trademarks in connection with rice (called as Integration Shennong Cup); prize presentation for the prestigious rice trade - export enterprises of Vietnam.
The festival is directed and supported by Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Vietnam Food Association, People’s Committees of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, provinces and cities nationwide; and sponsored by Southern Food Corporation, Lien Viet Commercial Joint Stock Bank, Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam, Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam, Asia Commercial Bank, Civil Engineering Construction Company 585 and Can Tho Sugar Joint Stock Company.
Rice is a plant and also a special product of Vietnam. It is because of the fact that rice production is not only the farming works of farmers for the past 1000 years, but rice production is also a part of the cultural life and spirit and prosperity of the nation.
Vietnam is naturally awarded with fertilized deltas, and experienced farmers, particularly in exploring, cultivating, and developing various seeds of wet rice, a cereal plant sustaining life of humankind. Further to the historic materials found and proved by scientists, researchers and archeologists, Vietnam is one of the places that originated the wet rice in Southeast Asia, around 10.000 – 12.000 years ago. In 1890, Vietnam was addressed on the world rice export map. In 1913, Hau Giang region exported rice to the world. Vietnam rice has been closely connected with the conutry founding and defending process of the Vietnamese nation. Thanks to rice, the Vietnamese peoples have struggled, defended and developed their fatherland. And the rice also has taken part in making Vietnam rising up and step by step able to integrate into the world.
With all aspects mentioned above, Vietnam Rice Festival bears heavy humaneness and has a profound socio-economic and cultural meaning.
Under the steering and assistance by the Central Goverment, with the supports by provinces and cities nationwide and the determination by Hau Giang, it is believed that the festival will be successful./.
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