Circular No. 06/2014/TT-BNNPTNT on awarding the Golden Rice Ear Award of Vietnam

CIRCULAR

Provisions on awarding the Golden Rice Ear Award of Vietnam

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Decree No. 199/2013/NĐ-CP dated 26/11/2013 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development;

Pursuant to Decision No. 51/2010/QĐ-TTg dated July 28, 2010 of the Government on promulgating the Regulation on management and organization of honoring titles and awarding prizes to entrepreneurs and enterprises; Circular No. 01/2012/TT-BNV dated January 16, 2012 of the Ministry of Home Affairs detailing the implementation of Decision No. 51/2010/QĐ-TTg dated July 28, 2010 of the Government;

The phrase "or examination" is abolished pursuant to Clause 6, Article 8 of Circular No. 15/2025/TT-BVHTTDL dated November 25, 2025, of the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism amending and supplementing certain articles of Circulars prescribing job codes, qualification standards, and salary grades for civil servants in the heritage culture, library, grassroots cultural activities, sports, fine arts, art performance, film, and cultural propaganda sectors, which takes effect from January 15, 2026.

The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development issues this Circular providing for the procedures for awarding the Golden Rice Ear Award of Vietnam.

PART I

GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 1. Scope of Regulation

This Circular stipulates the principles, conditions, procedures, and formalities for examining and organizing the awarding of the Golden Rice Ear Award of Vietnam (hereinafter referred to as the Award).

Article 2. Applicability

This Circular applies to collectives, individuals with products participating in the Award, and agencies, organizations, and individuals related to the Award.

Article 3. Principles for conferring titles

1. The awarding of the Award must be carried out correctly according to the objects, conditions, and examination procedures prescribed in this Circular; ensuring accuracy, transparency, democracy, and objectivity.

2. The Award recognizes and honors collectives and individuals with outstanding and exemplary products that have made worthy contributions to the development of agriculture and rural areas.

3. Products that have been awarded the Award shall not participate in subsequent awarding rounds.

Article 4: Forms, Quantity, and Structure of the Award

1. Form:

a) The Golden Rice Ear Award of Vietnam is the sole award of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to be presented to collectives and individuals with products meeting the conditions for examination and awarding as prescribed in Article 5 of this Circular;

b) The Award is organized for examination every three years.

2. Products participating in the awarding process include the following three groups:

a) Research results products: crop and forestry seeds; livestock and aquatic animal breeds; inventions, utility models, and useful solutions; scientific research projects, technological processes, and new technical advancements;

b) Consumer goods products: agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products, handicraft products, agricultural supplies, machinery and equipment, reputable brand products;

c) Models of production organization and rural development.

3. Quantity and structure of the Award:

a) Each time the Award is granted, up to 100 products belonging to the three categories specified in Clause 2 of this Article will be considered;

b) The specific quantity and structure of the Award for each category are determined by the Award Organizing Committee for each awarding session.

Chapter II

CONDITIONS AND PROCEDURES FOR AWARDING THE AWARD

Article 5: Conditions for Awarding

The Award is granted to collectives and individuals (authors, co-authors) within and outside the Agriculture and Rural Development sector, and foreign nationals working in Vietnam who meet the following conditions:

1. Having one of the products specified in Clause 2, Article 4 of this Circular.

2. Being recognized by competent authorities:

a) Inventions, utility models, and useful solutions: certified by the Intellectual Property Office under the Ministry of Science and Technology;

b) Scientific research results: accepted by the competent scientific and technological council at an excellent level and applied on a large scale in production; confirmed by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development or the Department of Science and Technology of provinces and centrally-administered cities for at least three years;

c) Agricultural and forestry crop seeds; livestock and aquatic animal breeds; agricultural supplies, machinery and equipment, agricultural, forestry, and aquatic products, handicraft products: applied and implemented in production for at least three years, confirmed by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development or the Department of Science and Technology of provinces and centrally-administered cities;

d) High-quality and reputable brand products: recognized by competent authorities;

đ) Models of production organization and rural development: summarized, evaluated, practically tested, showing a positive trend, and confirmed by the People's Committee of the province.

3. Products must be scored an average of at least 70 points (out of a maximum of 100 points) by the specialized examination board before being submitted to the Ministry-level examination board for review and recommendation to the Minister for awarding the prize. (specific criteria for each group of products are detailed in Appendix II attached to this Circular).

4. There must be no disputes over copyright, no complaints or appeals regarding the productivity or quality of the product, and it must not affect human health or the environment.

5. Full documentation proving ownership of the products by the author or co-author must be provided.

6. Products from collectives and individuals currently undergoing disciplinary measures are not eligible to participate in the awarding process.

Article 6. Examination Process and Decision on Awarding the Prize

The examination process for awarding the Prize is organized through two levels: the grassroots level and the Ministry level.

1. Grassroots Level: The grassroots examination council convenes meetings to examine and advise the heads of agencies and units under the Ministry to prepare files for submission to the Ministry.

2. Ministry Level is carried out in two steps:

a) Step 1: The specialized examination council, established by the Minister's decision, has the task of examining and scoring products submitted by the grassroots level.

b) Step 2: The Ministry-level examination council, established by the Minister's decision, has the task of selecting products scored by the specialized examination council with scores of 70 points or higher.

3. Based on the list submitted by the Ministry-level examination council, the Minister will consider and decide to award the Prize to collectives and individuals.

Article 7. Grassroots Examination Council

1. Number and Composition:

The grassroots examination council consists of 5 to 7 members, established by the heads of agencies and units. The composition of the council members is decided by the head of the agency or unit based on the actual situation of each agency or unit.

2. Tasks:

The grassroots examination council has the duty to convene meetings to select products from collectives and individuals that meet the conditions stipulated in Article 5 of this Circular.

3. Principles of Operation:

Meetings are considered valid when at least 2/3 of the council members are present. Products are examined and submitted to the Ministry only when all council members present unanimously agree.

Article 8. Specialized Examination Council

1. Number and Composition:

Each specialized examination council consists of 9 to 13 members who are leaders of related agencies and units, experts, and reputable scientists with professional experience in various fields within the Agriculture and Rural Development sector, selected by the Ministry to participate.

Based on the proposal of the Permanent Office of the Prize at each examination session, the Minister will decide to establish specialized examination councils.

2. Tasks:

The specialized examination council has the duty to convene meetings to score products submitted by the grassroots level (according to the criteria specified in Appendix 2 issued together with this Circular). After the meeting concludes, the specialized examination council must have a Minutes, Report on Results, and a summary table of scoring results to submit to the Ministry-level examination council.

Members of the specialized examination council work according to the principle of independent scoring, with a minimum score scale of 1.0.

3. Principles of Operation:

Meetings of the specialized examination council are considered valid when at least 2/3 of the council members are present. Products submitted to the Ministry-level council must achieve a score of 70 points or higher (average score of council members).

Article 9. Ministry-Level Examination Council

a) Chairman of the Council: Deputy Minister in charge of competition and reward work.

1. Composition:

b) Vice-Chairman of the Council: Director of the Cadre and Civil Servant Department.

c) Council Members:

Chairman of the Vietnam Agricultural and Rural Development Trade Union;

Head of the Inspectorate;

The Director of the Ministry's Office;

Director of the Science, Technology, and Environment Department;

Editor-in-Chief of the Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper;

Deputy Director of the Cadre and Civil Servant Department, in charge of competition and reward work;

Chairmen of specialized examination councils;

d) Secretary of the Council: Head of the Competition and Reward Section, Cadre and Civil Servant Department.

At meetings, the Chairman of the Ministry-level examination council may invite additional leaders of some agencies and relevant individuals to attend.

2. Functions:

The Ministry-level examination council advises the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development to decide on awarding the Golden Rice Ear Prize to collectives and individuals whose products win awards at each organization.

The Ministry-level examination council convenes meetings to select products nominated by specialized examination councils.

3. Tasks:

The Ministry-level examination council prepares a Petition accompanied by Minutes, Summary Table of Meeting Results, and submits them to the Minister for consideration and decision on awarding the Prize.

4. Principles of Operation:

Members of the Ministry-level examination council work according to the principle of secret ballot voting.

Meetings of the Ministry-level examination council are considered valid when at least 2/3 of the members are present. Products are examined and submitted to the Minister for consideration and decision when they receive unanimous agreement from 80% of the present members.

The meetings of the Council for Bestowing Awards at the Ministry level shall be considered valid when at least 2/3 of the members attend. Products shall be submitted to the Minister for consideration and decision when they receive unanimous approval from at least 80% of the Council members present and voting.

Article 10. Quantity and time for receiving application files

1. Application files submitted by groups and individuals to agencies and units (at the grassroots level) shall include two original copies, including:

a) The registration form requesting the award of the Prize (in accordance with Form No. 4 of Appendix 1 of this Circular);

b) A detailed report describing the product (in accordance with Form No. 5 of Appendix 1 of this Circular);

c) Confirmation documents as prescribed in Clause 2, Article 5 of this Circular;

d) Product images and other relevant documents;

đ) Copies of achievement certificates (if any);

e) Other related documents (if any).

2. Application files submitted by agencies and units (at the grassroots level) to the Ministry shall include one original copy, including:

a) The proposal requesting the award of the Prize (in accordance with Form No. 1 of Appendix 1 of this Circular);

b) Minutes of the meeting of the Grassroots Level Award Review Board (in accordance with Form No. 2 of Appendix 1 of this Circular);

c) List of nominees for the award of the Prize (in accordance with Form No. 3 of Appendix 1 of this Circular);

d) Application files of groups and individuals as stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article.

3. Time and place for receiving application files:

a) Groups and individuals must submit their application files to agencies and units (at the grassroots level) no later than January 31 (as evidenced by postmark) of the year in which the award is being considered;

b) Application files submitted by agencies and units (at the grassroots level) to the Ministry must be submitted no later than March 31 (as evidenced by postmark) of the year in which the award is being considered;

c) Place to receive application files: Department of Organization and Cadres, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, No. 2 Ngoc Ha Street, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi City.

For non-compliant application files, the Department of Organization and Cadres will notify the submitting agency or unit in writing and will not return the files.

Chapter III

ORGANIZATION OF THE AWARDING CEREMONY AND EXPENSES

Article 11. Organization of the Awarding Ceremony

1. The awarding ceremony shall be held on the occasion of the anniversary of the establishment of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (November 14) of the year in which the award is being considered.

2. The awarding ceremony shall be organized solemnly and widely publicized through mass media to honor groups and individuals.

Article 12. Funding

Expenses for organizing the awarding ceremony, expenses accompanying the award, and expenses for promotional activities, organizing the award, and regular activities of the specialized award review board and the Ministry-level award review board shall be sourced from the following:

1. Annual trade promotion funds of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

2. Sponsorship funds from domestic and foreign enterprises, groups, and individuals, and other legitimate sources.

Article 13. Benefits for groups and individuals awarded the Prize

1. They shall be presented with the Prize Cup, Prize Certificate, and Merit Award from the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

2. They shall be awarded money or tangible items according to current regulations.

3. Their product images shall be promoted and publicized through mass media.

4. They shall be allowed to use the Prize logo from the date of receiving the award.

5. They shall be permitted to print promotional materials for their products in both domestic and international markets.

Article 14. Revocation of the award decision and recovery of tangible items

1. When it is discovered that groups or individuals have been dishonest in preparing the application file requesting the award of the Prize, the award decision shall be revoked, all tangible items and monetary awards shall be recovered, and they shall not enjoy any benefits after receiving the award. If damage is caused, compensation shall be provided according to regulations.

2. The revocation of the award shall be publicly announced through mass media.

3. The head of the unit submitting the application for the award shall be responsible for recovering tangible items and monetary awards and handing them over to the Prize's permanent office.

Chapter IV

IMPLEMENTATION

Article 15. Implementation Organization

1. The Department of Organization and Cadres is the permanent organization of the Prize, accountable to the Minister for the awarding process and the organization of the awarding ceremony.

2. Agencies and units under the Ministry shall cooperate closely with the Department of Organization and Cadres based on their functions and tasks to regularly organize high-quality and effective awards.

3. Heads of agencies and units directly under the Ministry, Directors of Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chairpersons of Associations shall be responsible for disseminating and guiding related groups and individuals to implement this Circular.

Article 16. Effective Date

1. This Circular takes effect from March 27, 2014.

2. This Circular replaces Circular No. 10/2010/TT-BNNPTNT dated March 3, 2010, of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the awarding of the Golden Rice Ear Prize.

3. During implementation, if there are difficulties or obstacles, agencies, units, organizations, and individuals shall promptly reflect these issues to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (Department of Organization and Cadres) for consideration and resolution./.