A rice-farming model that sows seed in rows by machine and places fertiliser deep in the soil in the same pass cut production costs by an average of 23.6% in a trial in Vietnam's Red River Delta, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) reports. The results were reviewed on 16 October at a workshop in Nghia Son Commune, Ninh Binh province, attended by nearly 100 officials, researchers, cooperatives, farmers, companies and development partners.
The 2.2-hectare demonstration, set up in July 2026 with the Ninh Binh Department of Agriculture and Environment and the Vietnam Green Agriculture Investment and Development Group (VAG Group), grew the LP5 variety using mechanised row direct seeding with fertiliser deep placement (mDSR-FDP), a technology developed by IRRI and Tu Sang Agricultural Machinery Company. Placing seed and fertiliser precisely together reduces labour and the share of inputs that is lost.
After three months the saving averaged about VND 9.3 million (USD 359) per hectare compared with broadcasting and mechanical or manual transplanting. Crop establishment costs fell from more than VND 5 million (USD 193) to VND 1.67 million (USD 64) a hectare, fertiliser costs from VND 9.7 million (USD 375) to VND 5.7 million (USD 220), and net profit rose by more than VND 5 million (USD 193) a hectare.
The model follows the 4R nutrient stewardship framework of the right source, rate, time and place, and turns rice straw into organic fertiliser, which reduces straw burning. Three fertiliser companies, MTK-Innova Ag, BioWish and BOF/AMT, tested products using US-sourced technologies and materials in the plots. "The scientific value of the model lies in creating a synchronized solution that transforms the farming system to adapt to the ecological conditions and farming practices in the Red River Delta," said Dr Nguyen Van Hung, senior scientist at IRRI. Mark Petry, agricultural counselor at the US Embassy in Hanoi, said the private sector is essential to scaling technologies such as improved fertilisers and mDSR-FDP.
Scaling up is held back by fragmented landholdings, inconsistent cropping schedules and limited access to mechanisation services, and IRRI expects cooperatives to coordinate production and standardise practices. Nguyen Sinh Tien, deputy director of the Ninh Binh department, said innovations must be both effective and suited to local conditions. Testing continues in the spring 2027 season. The work was supported by the USDA Fertilize Right project and CGIAR's Sustainable Farming and Scaling for Impact programmes.
Photo: Doron / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: IRRI
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