Rice price has made all the headlines in Vietnam in the past few weeks, and it will be one of the most talked-about for some time

Building public-private partnerships (PPPs) has been in the talk for a while. However an actual visit to the Mekong Delta to how the model applied to the agricultural value chains there showed me the impacts it truly created.

I am familiar with the common belief that Vietnamese farmers are so-called short-sighted in their farm life, caring only about the nearest crop and always stuck in the dilemma of "good season, devaluation". But the sentiment is, in fact, shifting since they participate deeper in the export market.

During a field trip organized by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) early last month, a farmer who joined ACIAR's Sustainable Rice Value Chain Project shared with us his determination to find stable outputs for his crops by partnering with credible businesses.

What is more interesting is he stated his commitment to a previously signed contract even as the rice price was rapidly rocketed at the time. India put many restraints on rice exports over a short period in August, which resulted in turbulence in the global rice market. The event, accompanied by the grain blocks in Ukraine and Russia, has been viewed by many experts in Vietnam as an opportunity to promote the country's rice export.

But besides all the urgings, I was most impressed by the foresight of the farmer in the Mekong Delta. Through him, we see the change in mindset of the people, and I see how shallow I was. In the Mekong Delta, the farmers, scientists, businesses, authorities, foreign agencies, and other stakeholders joined hands to create sustainable value chains of agri-products.

And, as the "'Rice Doctor" of Vietnam, Mr. Vo Tong Xuan, told us during the trip: "Maybe not back then, but Vietnam's rice holds a chance to climb up the value chains now."

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