Mekong Delta: Rice cultivation area in 2024 to decrease but yield to increase

In 2024, the estimated rice planting area is 3,823.55 thousand hectares, 16.35 thousand hectares lower than the same period. Although the area has decreased, the yield of each crop has increased, so the estimated output for the whole year of 2024 is more than 24 thousand tons, an increase of more than 11 thousand tons compared to 2023, ensuring domestic consumption and export.

In particular, in 2024, a number of localities have implemented a project of 1 million hectares of high-quality, low-emission rice; the results have helped farmers increase profits by more than 20%, while reducing emissions by 5-10 tons of CO2 equivalent/hectare compared to outside the model.

In addition, the production of vegetables has always been of interest to the provinces in the region and has made an important contribution to the crop structure of the region.

In particular, farmers in the region have gradually changed their production mindset, promoted the application of high technology, linked production - consumption, built export growing area codes.

Estimated output of fruit trees (mango, banana, dragon fruit, pineapple, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, etc) in the whole Mekong Delta region in 2024 is 5,777 thousand tons, an increase of 429.7 thousand tons compared to 2023; of which the estimated output for the first 8 months of 2024 is 4,142 thousand tons; estimated output for the last 4 months of 2024 is 1,633 thousand tons.

At the conference, the Plant Protection Department reported on the preliminary summary of plant protection work on crops in 2024, forecasted the pest situation on rice and some other crops in the Winter-Spring crop 2024-2025, and proposed solutions to prevent some important pests; The Department of Irrigation reported on the assessment of water resources and irrigation solutions for production and crop conversion in 2024, forecasting the situation of drought, saltwater intrusion, and water supply for production in the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring crop in the Mekong Delta.

Member of Long An Provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee - Nguyen Minh Lam speaks at the conference

Speaking at the conference, Member of Long An Provincial Party Standing Committee, Vice Chairman of Provincial People's Committee - Nguyen Minh Lam informed about the results that Long An province has achieved in the past time and solutions in the coming time.

Accordingly, the province continues to promote propaganda work, unify from awareness to action, shift from agricultural production to agricultural economy; apply science and technology to maintain and promote growth, improve efficiency and competitiveness through the added value of agricultural, forestry and fishery products with potential and advantages.

Promote the effectiveness of the High-tech Agricultural Development Program associated with restructuring the agricultural sector towards improving quality, building product value chains; implement digital transformation in cultivation such as applying software to manage crop from production, processing, and product consumption to ensure transparency of product information, meeting market requirements; etc.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development - Hoang Trung delivers a speech at the conference

Concluding the conference, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development - Hoang Trung highly appreciated the results of agricultural production in the provinces of the Mekong Delta in recent times.

He suggested that localities and related units must coordinate to adjust the structure of the rice production time frame to closely follow the situation of weather changes; at the same time, coordinate to closely inspect and control the production and trading of pesticides and fertilizers.

Localities should strengthen pest forecasting and warning and guide farmers to thoroughly apply advanced technical solutions to increase productivity and quality of agricultural products, along with good agricultural practices - GAP, building growing area codes, aiming at export markets, etc. Thereby contributing to the economic growth, ensuring social security, and firmly ensuring food security./.

By Staffs - Translated by Q. Thien

Source: https://baolongan.vn/dong-bang-song-cuu-long-dien-tich-lua-gieo-trong-nam-2024-giam-nhung-nang-suat-tang-a181094.html