Speaking at the Prime Minister’s 2025 Dialogue with Farmers on December 10, Nguyen Thi Tra My highlighted the urgent need for farmers to embrace innovation to boost incomes and reduce carbon emissions.
She stressed that applying science and technology was now a vital necessity.
“In the past, farming meant watching the sky, the land and the clouds; now it means watching data and figures,” she said.
Convincing farmers to adopt new practices is a challenge in itself, Nguyen said.
Vinaseed’s parent company, PAN Group, has implemented support mechanisms such as free trials or 50 per cent cost reductions to reduce risk of adoption for farmers.
However, Nguyen proposed that the Vietnamese government step in to provide additional support policies to strengthen ties between agribusinesses and farmers.
Over the past two years, the company has witnessed how technology has become more integrated into production.
Nguyen reassured that its farmers have been diligent in documenting figures and characteristics, enabling decision-making to be based on data rather than intuition.
According to the company, it has encouraged the adoption of technology across six areas of the Mekong Delta over the last three years.
The initiative has steadily grown, aiming to cover 50,000 hectares by 2026, more than double this year’s 20,000 hectares.
Nguyen also highlighted how the establishment of farmer clubs, where agri leaders can learn new information and disseminate them to others.
She said these clubs have become important channels for business to deliver solutions to help farmers reduce costs by 25 to 30 per cent, while also cutting emissions.
Consumer shifts
Consumption trends were shifting locally and internationally, Nguyen emphasised. Not only do consumers demand high-quality food but expect them to be low-carbon and environmentally friendly products.
This is a trend that is gaining ground even among younger Vietnamese consumers and it is pushing farmers and agribusinesses to adapt.
“Ensuring high-quality seeds is our responsibility. With regard to crop protection products and fertilisers, the group is able to bring together leading industry names and has already developed comprehensive agricultural solution packages,” said Nguyen.
“The key issue is how farmers can access these solutions, enabling us to buy back paddy at premium prices and export rice under Vietnamese brands. Our ambition is to compete on quality rather than quantity.”
She emphasised that boosting Vietnam’s agricultural brand abroad requires strong coordination between government agencies and businesses, as well as unity among Vietnamese enterprises themselves.
“There needs to be close alignment between policymakers, ministries and agencies, and businesses to reinforce and elevate the Vietnamese brand. More importantly, Vietnamese enterprises must unite and support one another when entering global markets. Only by doing so can we establish a strong position with international partners, rather than acting in isolation. In my experience working with partners in Asia such as Japan, Taiwan and China, they do this very effectively.”
