Problems arising from farmers using "consumable rice" for summer-autumn crop production in Nghe An.
This year, for the summer-autumn crop season, farmers in many areas are not buying rice seeds but are using leftover rice from the spring crop. This practice is negatively impacting their own production and that of other households.
Saves money on buying new seeds.
Every summer-autumn crop season, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Lanh, from Hamlet 6, Nghi Dong Commune, Nghi Loc District, uses leftover rice from the previous season for planting instead of buying new seeds. According to her, the fields are frequently flooded in August and September, making production uncertain and often resulting in crop failures. Therefore, she doesn't want to invest in new seeds; even if she gets a good harvest, the yield is only a few hundred kilograms per sao (a unit of land measurement). Like other households in the hamlet, she uses her own leftover rice seeds to save costs and avoid regrets if the crop fails.
"The seeds we save are definitely of lower quality, but each plot of land requires 3-4 kg of seeds. My brothers and I cultivate 3 acres of rice paddies, and the cost of seeds adds up to a lot, while production is uncertain, so everyone saves their own rice seeds," Mrs. Lanh said.
This year, Nghi Loc district planted over 4,800 hectares of rice during the summer-autumn crop season. The practice of farmers using leftover rice seeds from the spring harvest is quite common in the area. According to Mr. Tran Nguyen Hoa, Head of the District's Agriculture and Rural Development Department, summer-autumn rice production in this locality is not as prioritized by farmers as in key rice-growing areas like Yen Thanh and Dien Chau districts, making production management quite challenging.
"Farmers use rice intended for consumption as seeds most often in areas with unstable production or crop failures due to drought or floods; and in areas where summer-autumn rice production is mainly for making noodles, bread, and animal feed, primarily using the Khang Dan rice variety," said Mr. Tran Nguyen Hoa.
This year, for the summer-autumn crop season, Ms. Pham Thi Binh from Hamlet 9, Chau Nhan Commune (Hung Nguyen District) had to buy rice seeds for production. However, because the previous crop wasn't very good, she couldn't save any seeds. In previous years, she always selected the best plots of land with well-developed rice to save as seeds for the next planting season.
"I know it won't be as productive as the purchased variety, or it will be more susceptible to pests and diseases, but buying seeds is expensive, costing about 500,000-800,000 VND per season," she shared. To mitigate the "weaknesses" of her own rice seeds, Ms. Binh only uses seeds that have been saved from one season to the next, buying new seeds for the following season to avoid degeneration.
Reduced productivity and quality
Not only does the practice of farmers using their own rice seeds affect their own fields, but it also negatively impacts the production of neighboring households.
As a neighbor of Ms. Pham Thi Binh, Ms. Phan Thi Xuyen in Chau Nhan commune (Hung Nguyen district) always buys seeds for planting, even though many households in the village save their own seeds instead of buying them. According to her, while it saves money on seeds, it actually results in lower yields and increased pest and disease problems.
"This spring, many households in the village planted seeds from last year's summer-autumn crop. Some households only harvested 4 sacks of rice per acre, which is less than 100 kg. Not only is the yield low, but there are also many empty grains, resulting in poor rice quality," Ms. Xuyen said.
Nevertheless, she remains very concerned about pests and diseases spreading from the self-seeded rice fields. Therefore, during periods when rice is prone to pests and diseases, she has to regularly inspect the fields to take timely preventive measures when problems arise.
Nghe An province's production guidelines include recommendations for advanced rice varieties; however, despite these recommendations from agricultural experts, this situation has persisted for many years in numerous localities. The practice of farmers using rice intended for consumption or using rice varieties sold illegally remains quite common, posing many potential problems.
During cultivation, pathogens affecting rice plants will persist in the grains, especially in the empty, low-quality grains, and will continue to infect the rice plants in the following season. In addition, farmers who save their own rice seeds will have a higher percentage of mixed seeds such as weeds and other varieties, resulting in low uniformity when sown in the field, affecting yield and product quality.
Mr. Nguyen Tien Duc, Head of the Provincial Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection
