In the afternoon, June 23rd 2016, at the Administration Division, PetroVietnam Fertilizer and Chemicals Corporation (PVFCCo) in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) held the Conference on Improvements on Nutrient Management for Rice Plants Using RCM (Rice crop management) Software.
The conference was attended by Mr. Vu Minh – Deputy Director General of the Department of International Cooperation; Mr. Roland Bures – chief expert of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). As for PVFCCo, attendees included Mr. Nguyen Hong Vinh – Member of the BOD, Ms. Le Thi Thu Huong – Vice President along with leadership of the Corporation”s Functional Divisions and Member Units. The conference was also attended by leadership of specialized agencies, agricultural experts, technical officers from the Vietnam Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute, Soils and Fertilizers Research Institute, Institute of Agricultural Science for Southern Vietnam, Can Tho University, PVCFC, Agricultural Extension Centers of provinces and farmers joining in provincial projects.
RCM is a nutrient management software first implemented in Vietnam by IRRI. In the past, in order to put the application program into effect to support farmers on the fertilizer usage process, agricultural experts of IRRI, Cuu Long Delta Rice Research Institute, Institute of Agricultural Science for Southern Vietnam carried out experimental fields on Site Specific Nutrient Management in the acid sulfate soils in provinces of Hau Giang, Dong Thap and Long An.
At the conference, officers directly implementing the program reported results of the investigation of farming practices and the construction of typical farming models, with benchmarking against the traditional method. These results serve as a database for the RCM program, providing full information on breeds, soil features, land, fertilizer quantity, etc., which helps agricultural extension officers recommend and instruct farmers on fertilizing right at the fields. Especially, with the application of information technology through using smart phones, laptops, tablets, the RCM program became friendlier and more practical to farmers.
As for PVFCCo, apart from providing the high-quality fertilizer portfolios for the farming process, programs accompanying and supporting farmers are always proceeded. Concerning RCM, the program will be applied by agricultural technique officers and market officers in the process of consultation, instruction on fertilizing for agents, customers, farmers right on the fields so as to support the technical and sale services more effectively.
Below are some photos: