Huỳnh Văn Thòn shared his perspective on finance at a forum held by Vietnam Rice Industry Association (VIETRISA) on December 31, 2025, highlighting the financing as a structural bottleneck in the sector.
The current model treats banks as transactional partners rather than shared stakeholders with aligned responsibilities.
He elaborated that when banks become a link within the ecosystem, financing could be synchronised more effectively with mechanisation plans and production cycles at cooperative level, enabling faster and more coordinated implementation.
“This approach would thoroughly resolve the current paradox: capital is not lacking, yet farmers still complain about difficulties in access or having to bear high interest rates.”
He added that the distinction between being an ecosystem component and a partner is significant, as it determines the degree of responsibility, long-term commitment and risk-sharing among stakeholders.
Furthermore, with banks fully integrated, it would strengthen the links between stakeholders and help expand market opportunities, he added.
Trần Thanh Hiệp, deputy director of An Giang’s Department of Agriculture and Environment, echoed Huỳnh concerns over credit access.
He said while there are credit packages available, there has not been much uptake among farmers and cooperatives.
Early successes
After three years of implementation, pilot projects under the scheme have shown measurable gains.
Across 11 pilot sites covering 543.5 hectares, participating farmers recorded average yield increases of 0.512 tonnes per hectare, cost reductions of up to VND4.9m (U$186.52 ) per hectare and emissions cuts of 3.7 tonnes of CO₂e per hectare per crop.
Today, more than 354,000 hectares across six Mekong Delta provinces have been certified for sustainable production.
These early results underlined the initiative’s greater potential if Vietnam can solve structural issues like financing.
At the same time, Vietnam has granted eight companies with its Vietnam Green Low-Emission Rice label.
These eight companies cover a combined area of 18,000 hectares and these companies have exported around 70,000 tonnes of low-emission rice under the certification.
Moving forward, VIETRISA plans to register the label with the Intellectual Property Office to enable wider commercial use.
In November, the trade body collaborated with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) launched the ViRiCert, a new digital compliance assessment mechanism designed to support the initiative.
VIETRISA said this tool will support its efforts to certify rice products.
“This assessment tool is important not only in measuring farmers’ compliance with the high-quality, low-emission rice production in the Mekong Delta but also in establishing a transparency mechanism that will empower them to confidently assert the value of their green products in the market,” Le Thanh Tung, Vice Chairman of VIETRISA.
Against the challenging landscape for rice production, Huỳnh said that the One Million Hectares of High-Quality, Low-Emission Rice initiative was timely implemented.
Challenges in countries like Japan for instance, has created significant opportunities for Vietnam’s rice industry.
In June, Vietnam exported around 500 tonnes of its low-emissions rice to Japan, opening up new opportunities for Vietnamese rice to reach “high-value” markets.
