From powerful rice varieties to the champion position
As a product researched and bred by the Bac Lieu Agricultural Seed Center (now the Ca Mau Agricultural Extension Center), BL9 won the First Prize at the "Delicious Mekong Delta Rice" Contest for the first time in 2026. This is an important milestone in the journey to increase the value of Ca Mau rice grains.
Rice variety BL9 was bred from the RVT and OM4900 combination at the end of 2023, and was specially recognized for circulation by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment. This rice variety has a growing period of 100 - 105 days, an average yield of 5.5 - 7 tons/ha, is well resistant to rice blast disease, brown planthoppers, stem borers, striped rice, and is about 4‰ salt-tolerant, suitable for the shrimp - rice model of Ca Mau.
In 2023, Ba Dinh General Agriculture Cooperative (Vinh Loc commune) deployed 30ha of BL9 rice according to organic processes on shrimp-rice land. Farmers apply carpet seedling cultivation, using 100% organic fertilizers, biological drugs; mechanization by drones and combine harvesters.
Mr. Nong Van Thach - Chairman of the Board of Directors - Director of Ba Dinh General Agriculture Cooperative - said: "We are completing the process to achieve OCOP certification and organic rice certification. Currently, all BL9 rice products of the Cooperative have been signed for consumption at a price of 7,600 VND/kg, significantly higher than traditional rice varieties.
After delicious rice is brand and market
According to Mr. Nong Van Thach, the cooperative is proposing that specialized sectors continue to support capital and preferential policies for high-tech application models; strengthen digital transformation training; support consumption connection and product brand building.
The title "delicious rice" is an important starting point, but to go far, BL9 needs more than one cup. That is a strong brand, clear legal protection and a long-term promotion strategy.
The lessons from ST24 and ST25 rice are still valuable as the market has seen many counterfeit products, causing confusion in consumer confidence. With BL9, that risk may be repeated if collective marks, geographical indications and a unified identification system are built slowly.
Labor Hero Ho Quang Cua - author of ST24 and ST25 rice varieties - believes that trademark registration is not only an administrative procedure but also a vital "legal shield" for businesses, especially the agricultural sector.
Mr. Ho Quang Cua emphasized that in the context of deep integration, if businesses do not register for protection in export markets, they may lose the right to use their own brand abroad, causing economic damage and affecting the reputation of Vietnamese agricultural products.
Mr. Le Van Su - Vice Chairman of Ca Mau Provincial People's Committee - said that the implementation of high-quality rice, safe rice, organic rice and emission-reducing rice models has initially brought positive results. The province registered to participate in the Project of 1 million hectares of high-quality rice with a scale of 54,680ha by 2030, but currently only about 1,380ha has been implemented. According to Mr. Le Van Su, the scale of implementation is still limited, and consumption linkages in the model are still unstable.
Mr. Pham Van Thieu - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Council of Ca Mau province - emphasized that the Mekong Delta plays a key role in ensuring food security and rice exports of the whole country. However, in the face of climate change and increasingly high requirements from the international market, increasing the value of Vietnamese rice is a strategic task.
For Ca Mau, after BL9's championship title, what needs to be done is to standardize raw material areas, complete chain links, protect brands, promote trade and maintain product quality stability.
