Despite warnings, farmers sow spring crops 20 days earlier than scheduled

Farmers in Bac Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district prepare the land for spring rice sowing on the morning of December 22. Photo: Xuan Hoang

On the morning of December 22, in the fields of Yen Thanh, Dien Chau, Quynh Luu districts... farmers went to the fields to prepare the land and sow rice seedlings, and in some places they even started sowing.Spring Rice2023.

In the fields of hamlet 3, Bac Thanh commune (Yen Thanh), besides the fields that were sown 2-3 days ago, many farmers are urgently preparing the soil and covering the remaining fields with plastic to sow.

A farmer in Hamlet 3, Bac Thanh Commune said that due to the warm weather and the flooded Nong Giang River, his family has sown rice on all 4 sao of his family's fields. If he doesn't do it now, when the water in the Nong Giang River opens, the fields will be full of water and he won't be able to sow rice. Every year, his family sows rice to save the trouble of sowing and transplanting.

Spring rice sowing at this time is 15 - 20 days earlier than the general crop calendar of the province. Photo: Xuan Hoang

"Knowing how to sow and transplant is early compared toseasonal calendarThe commune has promoted and recommended, but if others do it, we will follow. We know that if the harvest is good, we will enjoy it, if the harvest is bad, we will have to suffer, so when the weather is favorable, we just do it, we cannot wait for the crop schedule" - a farmer said.

In other fields of Yen Thanh district such as: Long Thanh, Khanh Thanh, Cong Thanh, Lien Thanh, Tang Thanh, Xuan Thanh... farmers have finished sowing rice seedlings, covered them with plastic to protect against the cold to prepare for the upcoming spring rice crop.

Professional agencies recommend that households that have not yet planted rice seedlings should immediately stop soaking and incubating the seeds to follow the province's planting schedule, to ensure that the rice blooms during favorable weather conditions. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Le Van Hong - Head of the District Department of Agriculture and Rural DevelopmentYen ThanhAccording to the district, farmers sowing rice seedlings these days is about 15 days earlier than the crop calendar, but for households sowing rice seedlings, it is about 20 days earlier. Farmers sowing rice seedlings and sowing rice seedlings earlier than the crop calendar issued by the Department of Agriculture is because they do not follow the recommendations of local authorities. Previously, the district had directed localities to focus on propaganda and mobilizing farmers to sow and plant according to the crop calendar as set out in the spring crop production plan.

In many communes of Dien Chau district, farmers have also gone to the fields to sow rice seedlings. According to Mr. Le The Hieu - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Dien Chau district, in the district there are about 1,200 hectares in low-lying areas, needing early planting, in the communes: Minh Chau, Dien Thai, Dien Nguyen... Therefore, the district arranged to sow rice seedlings in 2 early and late seasons. In which, season 1 is sown before January 5, 2023, however, currently, farmers have sown rice seedlings earlier than the local regulations.

By December 22, farmers in Minh Chau commune (Dien Chau) had basically finished sowing spring rice seedlings. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Nguyen Tien Duc - Head of the Provincial Department of Cultivation and Plant Protection, worried: Currently, through inspection, it shows that farmers in the districts of Hung Nguyen, Dien Chau, Yen Thanh, Quynh Luu, Nghia Dan, Thai Hoa town... have planted and sown spring rice since December 20, breaking the general crop calendar of the province. Compared to the crop calendar set by the province, it is 15 - 20 days earlier (according to the crop calendar, early rice seedlings of the spring crop are sown on January 5, 2023). Therefore, there is a risk that the seedlings will encounter severe cold and the spring rice will bloom in an unfavorable weather frame.

Faced with this situation, local authorities at all levels need to continue to promote propaganda and mobilize people to strictly follow the province's general planting schedule. Accordingly, households that have not yet sown rice seedlings must immediately stop soaking and incubating seeds.

"The beginning of spring in 2023 on January 14 is later than other years and 2023 has a leap year of February 2, so farmers sowing earlier than the crop calendar is a concern and worry for the agricultural sector, because rice will bloom in a cold weather frame, which is unfavorable and affects productivity," Mr. Nguyen Tien Duc shared.