Beneo Partners with NGO on Sustainable Rice Initiative

Beneo, a manufacturer of functional ingredients for food, feed, and pharmaceuticals, partnered with non-governmental organization Rikolto and climate technology company CarbonFarm to launch a three-year project to promote sustainable rice production in Vietnam. The project was supported through a grant of 800,000 euros from the Government of Flanders as part of the Flanders International Climate Action Program.

Vietnam is one of the world’s largest rice exporters, and relies heavily on the staple crop for economic stability and food security. However, sustainability challenges persist. Global rice cultivation practices account for 10% of human-caused methane emissions and a third of irrigation water worldwide, Beneo reports. Vietnam’s farming sector struggles with inefficient water use, overuse of fertilizers and pesticides, and burning of rice residues. This contributes to soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and higher greenhouse gas emissions.

Sustainable rice production can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by nearly half, and reduce water usage by about 30% without any loss in yield, reports Beneo. This requires an integrated approach.

“This initiative clearly demonstrates BENEO’s dedication to climate mitigation actions, sustainability, and its proactive approach to addressing global challenges through innovative solutions,” said Roland Vanhoegaerden, operations managing director for specialty rice ingredients at Beneo. “We are proud and excited to leverage BENEO’s longstanding expertise in producing and marketing functional ingredients in collaboration with our project partners and Vietnamese farmers to reduce the environmental impact of rice production.”

The project kicked off in April during a Belgian state visit to Vietnam, and will train at least 1,000 farmers in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta beginning in the summer of 2025 on sustainable and climate-resilient agricultural practices in line with the Sustainable Rice Platform standards, including efficient water management, responsible use of pesticides and fertilizers, and demonstration fields to showcase practical applications. Satellites and digital logbooks will be used to monitor the farming practices and measure emissions and water usage.

As part of the collaboration, Beneo will develop SRP-certified rice ingredients, Rikolto will lead the training of farmers, and CarbonFarm will deploy digital and satellite tools to support data collection, sustainability assessments, and project validation.

Beneo’s production site in Wijgmaal, Belgium, will process SRP-certified rice into starch, flour, and protein ingredients for the food and pet food industries, with the goal of processing at least 10,000 tons of sustainably grown rice throughout the 3-year project.

The initiative is part of Beneo’s sustainability strategy, the “Healthy Planet Plan,” which is its commitment to sustainable agriculture, supporting farmers, and providing environmentally and socially responsible solutions.