On June 5 in Can Tho City, the Vietnam Rice Industry Association (VIETRISA) and Trung An Company will hold a ceremony to export the first “Low-Emission Vietnamese Rice” batch to Japan. This marks a significant step forward in implementing the national initiative titled “Sustainable Development of One Million Hectares of High-Quality, Low-Emission Rice in the Mekong Delta by 2030.”
VIETRISA developed the “Low-Emission Vietnamese Rice” label in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), SNV Netherlands Development Organisation, and the World Bank. VIETRISA finalized and issued the regulations on the use of the label on April 16, 2025.
The label is granted to rice products produced by the technical guidelines of the one-million-hectare project and verified by local governments (commune level) or specialized international organizations. To use the label, businesses and cooperatives must demonstrate transparency in rice variety origin, seasonal production, and adherence to low-emission farming practices guided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
On June 5 in Can Tho City, VIETRISA and Trung An Company held a ceremony to export the first batch of "Low-emission Rice" to Japan. Photo: TAR.To date, seven enterprises have been granted the right to use the label, with a combined output of more than 19,000 tons of rice. Among them, Trung An Company, in partnership with Japan’s MURASE Group, is the first to export rice under this label to an international market.
VIETRISA Standing Vice Chairman Le Thanh Tung said this brand is a stepping stone toward developing a national label for low-emission rice. While a complete national certification system has yet to be established, companies may self-declare “green rice” brands provided they ensure transparency and compliance with approved technical standards.