2019-2020 Winter-Spring rice crop: Farmers have quite good profits

The 2019-2020 Winter-Spring rice has good harvest and price. Due to the complicated situation of Covid-19 epidemic, unfavorable weather, drought and saltwater intrusion, the coming Summer-Autumn crop has to ensure food for consumption and export.

 Farmers harvest Winter-Spring rice crop

Winter-Spring crop is not favorable but the productivity increases

Thanks to the good solutions to cope with saltwater intrusion, the Winter-Spring rice crop has a good harvest and price. Due to the impact of climate change, early drought and saltwater intrusion, Southern districts such as Tan Tru, Thu Thua and Tan An City, etc. have to increase the cost of pumping water; in some places, rice productivity has been reduced by 30-70 percent. In the 2019-2020 Winter-Spring crop, the whole province sowed about 227,235 hectares, reaching 99.98 percent of the plan, equivalent to 98 percent compared to the 2018-2019 Winter-Spring crop (down 4,733 hectares). Due to drought, salinity and lack of irrigation water, the districts of Thu Thua, Tan Tru, Can Duoc and Tan An City actively stopped planting this crop; some areas have been converted to other crops.

Director of Department of Agriculture and Rural Development - Nguyen Thanh Truyen said: “The area of the 2019-2020 Winter-Spring crop decreases but productivity and price increase. The average profit is estimated at 15-20 million VND per hectare, an increase of more than 2-3 million VND per hectare compared to the 2018-2019 Winter-Spring crop. Up to now, the whole province has harvested 226,245 hectares of Winter-Spring rice; dry productivity is estimated at 64.6 quintals per hectare, an increase of 1.2 quintals per hectare; the output is estimated at 1.46 million tons, down about 9,200 tons compared to the 2018-2019 Winter-Spring crop (due to the reduction of area and loss of 990 hectares), reaching 54 percent of the plan in 2020 (2.7 million tons).”

At present, there are only more than 1,000 hectares of rice in the whole province that have not been harvested, concentrated in the Southern districts (mostly in Tan Tru). Most of this area is affected by drought and salinity, of which hundreds of hectares are completely damaged. In Dong Thap Muoi area, the 2019-2020 Winter-Spring rice crop has finished harvesting, farmers are preparing for the upcoming Summer-Autumn crop.

Deputy Head of Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tan Hung district - Phan Van Ni informed: “In the 2019-2020 Winter-Spring crop, the whole district sows about 36,234 hectares and has finished harvesting. Currently, the rice price is stable and the productivity is increased, so the farmers have good profits ”.

Productivity of 2019 - 2020 Winter-Spring crop increases despite many difficulties

Strive to reach over 2.7 million tons of rice in 2020

According to Mr. Nguyen Thanh Truyen, in order to reach over 2.7 million tons of rice, the Agriculture sector will synchronously implement solutions in the Summer-Autumn and Autumn-Winter crop in 2020. Local authorities should direct to review and arrange reasonable Summer-Autumn rice seeding plans; ensure at least 3 weeks of isolation from the Winter-Spring crop depending on the flow of water in areas that are proactive in water, at risk of water shortages or possibly affected by early floods combined with seasonal structure maps and pest avoidance schedules.

As scheduled, the calendar schedule consists of 3 phases, in which, the first phase is from April 10 to April 20 (low-lying Dong Thap Muoi), the second phase is from May 08 to May 23 (whole province), and the third phase is from June 05 to June 20 (Southern districts). In order to avoid damage, the areas that cannot control water sources do not sow before the rainy season. Rice varieties should be grown in accordance with changes in water resources and saline intrusion such as OM 4900, OM 5451, Sticky rice, Dai Thom 8, RVT, Nang Hoa 9, ST, OM 6976, etc. In areas where alum and saltwater are affected, rice varieties such as AS996, OM 5451, OM 6976, etc. should be used.

“In addition, local authorities should propagate and mobilize farmers to clean their fields carefully; bury the straw and use probiotics; apply for scientific and technical advances; reduce seed sowing; apply alternate wet-dry irrigation techniques for rice and drip irrigation for other crops; etc. Besides, localities should continue to mobilize enterprises to participate in investing in large-scale fields associated with ensuring consumption of agricultural products; regularly check the leakage of saline water at the sluice gates; complete the dike system along the big river; build saline intrusion prevention works at major locations of the rice-growing region of the province; strengthen inspection of establishments producing and trading agricultural materials" - Mr. Truyen added.

By Huynh Phong - Translated by Pham Ngan

Source: http://baolongan.vn/vu-dong-xuan-2019-2020-nong-dan-co-lai-kha-a93176.html