Mr. Son: Many policies support farmers in winter crop production.

These days, farmers in Anh Son are harvesting rice and preparing the land for winter crops. Photo: Thai Hien

In recent years, Tuong Son commune has always been the leading locality in the winter corn production movement on rice land in Anh Son district.With 4 years of experience growing winter corn on two-rice land, currently Ms. Bui Thi Thuy's family, village 6, Tuong Son commune is urgently preparing the land to sow winter corn.

Ms. Thuy shared: In previous years, her family often left the winter crop fallow. For the past 4 years, since the locality had a policy of growing corn on rice land, after the summer-autumn rice harvest, her family immediately started preparing the land to plant corn. Because growing corn on rice land not only provides food for livestock development, but also sells it to earn more income; corn plants and leaves are used as animal feed. This year, the family has switched to growing winter corn on all 5 sao of rice land.

The district and commune have many policies to support farmers in investing in winter crop production. Photo: Thai Hien

Ms. Nguyen Thi Bich Thuy - Vice Chairman of Tuong Son Commune People's Committee said: In the 2018 winter crop, the whole Tuong Son commune planted more than 400 hectares of corn, of which 120 hectares of corn on rice land with the main varieties being DK 6919, B.06, B.265, NK66. Currently, people are planting in Dong Dua area, striving to plant 100% of the area before September 30.

In order to achieve the target of the third corn crop on the two-rice land as soon as the summer-autumn rice ripens, Tuong Son commune has organized a meeting with the villages to deploy the winter crop production plan. Cadres and party members from the commune to the village who have fields must go to work first, so that the people can follow. In addition, implementing the motto "morning rice, afternoon corn" to make the most of the crop calendar, the People's Committee of the commune requires the commune cadres and civil servants in charge of the villages to regularly follow the villages they are in charge of, grasp and regularly report the situation of winter crop production to the People's Committee of the commune; assign the Cooperative to coordinate with the Commune Farmers' Association to proactively contact, arrange and supply enough seeds, ensuring the season for farmers. The commune supports people with 65% of the cost of corn seeds on rice fields and 30% on alluvial land.

This year, production in Anh Son district has been continuously affected by floods, causing great damage to farmers. To support production, this winter crop, Anh Son district has also directed the arrangement of reasonable crop varieties and crop timing, applied technical advances, and avoided natural disasters to increase productivity, output, and value per unit area.

Accordingly, this winter crop, the whole district strives to plant 2,800 hectares of winter corn, of which winter corn on double-rice land: 350 hectares of main varieties including DK 6919, B.06, B.265, NK66, CP501, CP511, 30y87... These are high-yield, short-term corn varieties suitable for cases of re-sowing due to floods, when harvested, the leaves are still green and can be used as animal feed. Winter crops on double-rice land in Anh Son, the time frame for implementation starts from September 15 and ends before September 30.

In addition to winter corn, this year Anh Son district directed localities to plant 305 hectares of vegetables and beans of all kinds; 55 hectares of squash, 81 hectares of sweet potatoes to increase income per unit area. Currently, localities in the whole district are mobilizing maximum human resources, material resources, and machinery to urgently plant seeds to ensure early completion of planting winter crops in 2018.