HCM CITY (VNS) — Rice straw, which is usually burnt by Cuu Long (Mekong) farmers at rice fields after harvest, will be exported to Japan as animal feed, according to Song Hau State Farm in the Mekong City of Can Tho.

At a meeting on Wednesday , the management board of Song Hau State Farm negotiated with representatives of Japan Beef Import/Export Association (JBIX) on a project to process rice straw from the Mekong Delta for export to Japan where the material will be used as animal feed.

A representative of JBIX said Japan needs sources of clean feed for its husbandry industry, especially for its herd of 4.3 million cows. The demand includes 220,000 tonnes of processed rice straw per year.

Under the project, JBIX will provide capital and equipment to its Vietnamese counterpart, and at the same time send Japanese experts to Song Hau Farm to provide technical know-how and staff training.

Nguyen Thanh Phu, director of Song Hau State Farm, said if the project goes smoothly, the first shipments of processed rice straw from the Mekong Delta would be exported to Japan.

The project is expected not only to better benefit Mekong farmers but also help reduce pollution caused by straw burnt after the harvest. — VNS