Biodiesel production and use for agricultural production in the mekong delta: current status and potential

Abstract

Mekong Delta plays an important role in Vietnam agriculture and food security. It contributes more than 90% nation rice export quantity and 70% fishery and fruit tree products. Currently, a huge amount of fossil diesel has been consuming in farming activities such as land preparation, irrigation, harvesting, and product transportation. The use of fossil diesel can cause environmental pollution and farmers’ health impacts. In the Mekong Delta, raw materials for biodiesel production are widely available, for example catfish fat (Pangasius) and coconut oils. Up to 2020, it is predicted that demands and potential use of biodiesel in agricultural production is very high, particular in rice, fruit trees production and aquaculture. Therefore, using biodiesel in the Mekong Delta’s agriculture sector is an emerging trend in the future. This paper presents current status and potential of using biodiesel in agricultural production activities in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Participatory approach including Focus Group Discussion-FGD, Key Informant Panel-KIP and Households Interviews (484 samples) were employed to collect data. Descriptive statistics and binary logistics were applied to analyse collected data. Results showed that biodiesel was not popularly used yet due to many reasons such as high production costs, unavailability in the local area, and users’ awareness on using it. Recently, there are many policies encouraging biodiesel use in agricultural production. More than 80% of farmers have agreed to use biodiesel in agricultural production activities with some required conditions such as information on biodiesel, quality, production costs, and use efficiency.