Farmers in village 7, Viet Lap commune, Tan Yen district sow spring rice seedlings.

Adjust the target

Production areas of rice, corns, vegetables and beans of the provincial agricultural sector did not meet the target set in 2017 due to impractical planning. In recent years, residents of some localities have restructured agricultural production toward growing new plants with high economic values and reducing rice farmland while still maintaining their target of rice cultivation.

Luc Ngan district is an example of the situation, as the communes in the locality, namely Hong Giang and Tan Quang, have planted citrus trees in former farmlands for rice and vegetables. However, the district is tasked with planting more than 2,600ha of rice in the spring crop every year, which is illogical and made the agricultural sector’s rice farming area fail to meet expectation.

This year, the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development instructed authorized agencies to revise all farming areas and devise a suitable plan. Accordingly, the province will plant more than 50,600ha of rice in the spring crop, a decrease of 1,700ha against the previous year. Luc Ngan district has to grow only over 1,300ha, half of last year’s figure. Farming areas for late rice crop account for 97 percent while the remainder is for the early crop.

Recently, high-quality rice has affirmed its advantages as it is fragrant, delicious, easier to cultivate and sold at higher price than that of the regular type. Hence, this variety will be given priority in this year’s spring crop. The province also plans to grow over 16,000ha of original rice, increasing 1,000ha compared to 2017’s spring crop. Rice varieties which are encouraged to plant include BC15, Bac Thom, Huong Thom No.1 and TBR 225.

In Yen Dung district, the province’s major locality of rice production, 4,500ha out of 7,700ha of high-quality rice has been planted in this crop, 500ha more than last year’s spring crop, mainly in Tu Mai, Dong Phuc, Duc Giang and Canh Thuy communes.

Vice head of the district’s Agriculture and Rural Development Office Hoang Huu Lan said Yen Dung’s rice is consumed in many localities across the country and is chosen by domestic consumers. Thus, the district maintains 14 fields for high-quality rice in this crop, with an area of 30ha per field. Local farmers receive a support of 30 percent for the material price, he added.

All communes in Hiep Hoa district have focused on growing high-quality rice such as BC15, Huong Thom No.1, Bac Thom No.7 and Nang Xuan in this crop. According to the district’s Agriculture and Rural Development Office, local farmers to date have prepared rice varieties. High-quality rice area is estimated to reach 2,500ha or more than 30 percent of total rice farming area of the spring crop.

Kham Lang water pumping station pumps water into late spring crop.

Local authorities of Luc Nam district advised local farmers to plant high-quality rice QR1, Thien Uu 8, RVT and BC15 in wet rice paddies with total registered areas of 1,800ha.

Adhere to rice crop frame

In accordance with the plan and orientations of agencies concerned, local farmers are focusing on production. Nguyen Thi Hoa, from hamlet No.7, Viet Lap commune, Tan Yen district said: "Many village residents find jobs as workers in manufacturing or services so that they are no longer interested in cultivation. That’s why I asked for permission to sow on their fields. In this crop, my family has more than 720 sq.m of rice, doubling that of the previous crop. I have finished sowing rice seeds and plan to grow them in the next half month.

Materials suppliers also ensure providing quality items for farmers. The Agricultural Technical Materials JSC is ready with over 25,000 tonnes of fertilizers of various kinds. Taking advantage of water discharge by hydropower power plant reservoirs, irrigation and agricultural firms deployed more than 35 water pumping machines in service of production. According to the Department of Irrigation, the province pumped water into more than 1,000ha of land during the first stage of water discharge from January 16-19 or 10 percent of the plan. The second stage was scheduled for January 28 – February 4.

Conditions for the spring crop have been generally favorable so far with reservoirs reaching more than 73 percent of the designed capacity, which is sufficient for rice production in mountainous areas. Deputy Director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Duong Thanh Tung said farmers should not be inattentive due to severe cold spells in January and February forecast by the local meteorological and hydrological agency. The city and districts need to devise the plan for seedlings reserve and contingency prevention. Depending on early spring weather conditions and growth characteristics of rice varieties, it is necessary to sow them in appropriate crop and prevent the rice produce grain in unfavorable weather conditions.

This year, it is forecast that several insects harmful to rice will appear, especially the southern black striped dwarf insect which first appeared in 2009 in mass. In 2017, it broke out again on a site of over 40ha with crops in districts of Yen The, Luc Nam, Luc Ngan, Son Dong being severely damaged. Amidst climate change at current, the disease is likely to become epidemic in late spring 2018. Therefore, improving epidemics forecast quality and offering timely alert to farmers is needed.

Trinh Lan