Playground for delicious rice in the Mekong Delta region
The highlight of the 2026 Ca Mau Province Science, Technology - Culture, Tourism Week is the 1st "Delicious Mekong Delta Rice" Contest, taking place from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM on April 25th at the Ca Mau Provincial Cultural Center.
This is the first time a regional-scale competition dedicated to the rice industry has been held in Ca Mau, aiming to find and honor high-quality rice grains of the Mekong Delta region. Through the competition, the organizers expect to promote links between production, processing and consumption; gradually elevating the Mekong Delta delicious rice brand in the domestic and international markets.
Not stopping at selecting outstanding products, the contest also aims to encourage the application of advanced farming processes, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate change and develop the rice industry in a green, high-quality, and sustainable direction.
On the evening of April 25, at Hung Vuong Square, the opening ceremony of the Week will be solemnly held, combined with the award ceremony of the contest with a special art program and art fireworks performance.
On the afternoon of April 26, a seminar "Connecting production and consumption of the rice industry" will take place, focusing on discussing solutions to link production and consumption, develop the collective economy and improve the value of rice grains.
In addition, the "Delicious Rice Dishes" contest held on the morning of April 26 also contributed to promoting culinary culture associated with local rice products.
Ready for the competition
Among the products participating in this year's competition, BL9 rice is expected to become a typical representative of Ca Mau.
BL9 is a rice variety researched and bred by the Ca Mau Provincial Agricultural Seed Center from the RVT and OM4900 combination, recognized for circulation in 2023. This rice variety is well adapted to salty and acidic coastal soils and is suitable for the organic rice-shrimp model.
In 2024, Thanh Son Cooperative was supported with BL9 seeds to produce 50ha according to the rice-shrimp model. This is considered an effective direction when both producing high-quality rice and raising ecological shrimp, increasing income for people.
Mr. Tran Van Ngo - Director of Thanh Son Cooperative - said that BL9's summer-autumn crop yield reached 5.5 - 6.5 tons/ha, and the winter-spring crop reached 7 - 7.5 tons/ha. Rice grains are slender, rice is soft, porous and has a natural sweet taste.
According to Mr. Ngo, BL9 has good resistance, few pests and diseases, so it significantly reduces the use of pesticides, in line with the green agriculture trend.
Currently, BL9 rice products have achieved OCOP 3-star standards. Participating in this competition is considered an important step in the strategy to build the Ca Mau rice brand.
In Lang Tron ward - a place famous for the Ong Dien Rice brand, many farmers also expect local products to be highly appreciated.
Mr. Nguyen Van Phuoc - a clean rice farmer - shared that whether they win prizes or not, the happiest thing is that rice farmers are cared for and recognized for their labor through this meaningful contest.
With a diverse chain of activities, Ca Mau expects to create a new impetus for regional linkages, promote investment and enhance the brand of agricultural products. In which, Mekong Delta rice continues to affirm its value with quality and aspiration to reach further.
