TH Group brings high-tech agriculture to Thai Binh

With its new $136.4 million project, TH Group is simultaneously bringing high-tech to Thai Binh and to the rice sector

With construction already underway, the project, based in the province’s Vu Thu district, will focus on producing organic fruits and vegetables and high-quality rice. It will cover a total land area of 3,000 hectares, of which about 2,000ha will be used for producing rice and rice oil.

As the first high-tech agricultural project in Thai Binh, this integrated project will be built under the financial consultancy of BAC A BANK. It will cover all stages of production, from incubation, cultivation, extraction, and harvesting to processing, packaging, and distribution.

All products are made under the Global GAP and Organic standards, adhering to the EU’s EC 834-2007 and EC 889-2008 certificates and the US’ USDA-NOP certificate.

All products will be produced in greenhouses or on fields with strict controls over food safety problems stemming from soil and water sources.

The standards include five agricultural techniques that must not be used, including no chemical-based fertilizers, no chemical-based pesticides, no growth stimulants, no preservatives, and no varieties with genetic modifications.

“We highly appreciate TH Group’s great contributions to Vietnam’s high-tech agricultural sector. This project is expected to help Thai Binh province develop its high-tech agricultural sector and create many local jobs,” said Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung, while attending the ground-breaking ceremony.

In order to support this project and others of its ilk, TH Group has also established the TH Organic Agricultural Research Institute, whose membership consists of local and foreign high-profile scientists.

The institute’s head Tran Duy Quy said that Thai Binh is famous for rice cultivation. However, it has begun to gradually wane in the province. Thus, TH will play a key role in producing high-quality rice and other agricultural products there.

Vietnam is a cradle for Japonica rice, one of Asia’s two major rice varietals. TH aims to become a famous cultivator of this type of rice, starting in Thai Binh. But the group will develop this type of rice at a higher level, under either the Global Gap or Organic standards.

“This will be an outstanding project for Thai Binh,” Quy said.

In addition to Japonica rice, TH Group will produce other varieties of rice which contain high levels of Omega 3 and 9. These will be used for producing supplementary foodstuffs. The first variety to be piloted is called “Nep huyet rong” - dragon blood sticky rice.

The group’s chairwoman Thai Huong said that TH will also build a new plant to process rice oil. “We will co-operate with a Japanese firm to produce rice, foodstuffs, and even cosmetics from rice.”

The project in Thai Binh will also focus on cultivating and processing potatoes, tomatoes, vegetables, and tea. All these products will be grown and produced systematically, using integrated production chains.

At present, TH Group is constructing a $2.7 billion high-tech concentrated dairy and fresh milk production project in Russia, and considering embarking upon a similar project in the Republic of Bashkortostan, a federal subject of Russia.

Since 2009, TH Group has also been operating a $1.2 billion, 37,000ha high-tech concentrated dairy and fresh milk production project in the central province of Nghe An’s Nghia Dan district.