Prolonged droughts pose serious challenges for Vietnamese agriculture. To help reduce crop losses, the Organic Technology Department of the Vietnam Institute of Chemical Technology has developed a new material capable of retaining moisture and cutting irrigation needs by 30%–60%.
The moisture-holding material is mixed with rice husks or coffee husks, then incorporated into the soil at a depth of 10–20 cm within the tree’s canopy area. After each watering, the material captures much of the water instead of allowing it to evaporate or seep deep into the ground.
Dr. Nguyễn Cửu Khoa, a member of the research team, explained that the mixing ratio varies depending on the crop, but typically 10–25 g of the product is combined with 0.5–1 kg of rice or coffee husks. In arid soils, using this moisture-retaining product can increase crop yields by four to five times compared with normal conditions.
Field trials on coffee, corn, and cotton in Gia Lai Province showed promising results: coffee yields rose by about 5 tons per hectare; corn yields increased 50% compared with standard cultivation; and cotton yields improved by roughly 10%–40%.
Further tests on the product’s nutritional properties, physical and chemical composition, trace elements, and micro-organisms confirmed that it does not harm soil health or crop quality. Notably, the material can be used to retain moisture for both short- and long-term crops—only the moisture-holding duration needs to be adjusted according to the plant’s age.
The current market price is about 60,000–70,000 VND per kilogram.