Worried that low pressure will strengthen into a storm, Nghe An farmers are busy harvesting summer-autumn rice.

In the golden fields of Hop Minh, Van Tu, Yen Thanh, Quang Thanh communes... (old Yen Thanh district) or communes of Do Luong, Nghi Loc, Dien Chau districts (old), the rice has ripened, signaling a bumper crop. However, instead of leisurely harvesting, people here are racing against the weather.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, Hop Minh commune, just finished harvesting nearly 2 sao of rice, shared: "Hearing that there would be heavy rain in a few days, my family had to call the machine to harvest right away at noon. The rice is basically ripe, if left for a few more days and it rains, it will collapse, sprout, and be considered a total loss."

In the fields, it is easy to see the image of combine harvesters operating at full capacity. The operators said that people called continuously, they even had to eat right on the machine to harvest on time.

Binh Minh Commune (merged with Duc Thanh, Ma Thanh, Tan Thanh and Tien Thanh communes of the old Yen Thanh district) is a locality that grows a lot of summer-autumn rice, with 775 hectares. Because this year the weather at the beginning of the crop was favorable and people took good care of it, the rice flowers were large and the grains were firm.

However, according to Mr. Tran Van Giang - Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, the late-season storm caused many areas to collapse, affecting productivity. "Immediately after storm No. 5, the commune mobilized machinery and directed hamlets to urgently harvest. Up to now, the whole commune has harvested about 40% of the area. Facing the risk of low pressure strengthening into a storm, the commune continues to mobilize people to take advantage of the weather to harvest early," said Mr. Giang.

The urgent harvest atmosphere also took place in other fields in the communes of the old Dien Chau district. Many households mobilized labor, rented harvesters, and even used the concrete road in the field to dry rice.

Mr. Le The Hieu - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Minh Chau Commune (merged with the communes of Dien Cat, Dien Nguyen, Hanh Quang and Minh Chau of the former Dien Chau district) said: "This summer-autumn crop, the commune planted nearly 1,800 hectares. After receiving information that the low pressure could strengthen into a storm, the commune promptly mobilized people to harvest early with the motto 'green at home is better than ripe in the fields'. Up to now, about 1,500 hectares have been harvested."

This summer-autumn crop season, Nghe An planted over 75,000 hectares, of which over 56,000 hectares were in the summer-autumn crop. The agricultural sector has continuously advised localities to speed up the harvest to avoid damage when storms and floods come.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Duc - Head of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection advised: In the face of the tropical depression that is likely to strengthen into a storm, is nearing the shore, and is likely to cause heavy rain in the coming days, farmers need to urgently harvest summer-autumn rice that is 80% or more ripe to limit damage. As of August 28, the whole province has harvested over 3,290 hectares concentrated in the communes of Hop Minh, Van Tu, Yen Thanh, Tan Chau, Minh Chau, and Quang Chau.

For areas of ripe rice, take advantage of favorable weather conditions to mobilize combine harvesters, manpower, and equipment to harvest quickly and neatly. In areas at risk of flooding, priority should be given to early harvesting, drying, and safe storage of rice.

In addition, people need to clean their fields, clear drainage ditches, and avoid stagnant rainwater that can cause flooding and germination. Agricultural service cooperatives and local authorities need to support and mobilize forces to help people harvest in a timely manner and minimize damage after the storm./.