Nghe An: 100 hectares of rubber trees collapsed due to tornado causing great damage

(Baonghean.vn) -Nearly 100 hectares with about 40,000 rubber trees at Xuan Thanh Agricultural One Member Co., Ltd. (Quy Hop district) were suddenly knocked down by a tornado on the evening of August 23, causing estimated damage of several billion VND.

Leaders of Xuan Thanh Agricultural Company Limited count rubber trees that were broken by a tornado that occurred on the evening of August 23. Photo: Huy Nham

At around 11pm on August 23, in Quy Hop district, a tornado accompanied by heavy rains broke out, destroying nearly 100 hectares of rubber trees in the exploitation stage of more than 300 workers of Team 1, Team 4 and Team 6 of Xuan Thanh Agricultural One Member Co., Ltd. Up to 40% of the rubber area was flattened and lost.

Observations at the scene on the morning of August 24 showed that most of the rubber trees swept away by the tornado were 15-20 years old and in the period of high latex production.

Many rubber trees over 20 years old were uprooted by the tornado. Photo: Trung Hieu

“My family has 2 hectares of rubber trees and about 150-170 trees were broken and uprooted. Just yesterday, we tapped 180 tons of latex. Now that they are broken, we don’t know when we can fix them,” said Mr. Vu Huu Lien of Team 1.

Next to Mr. Lien's rubber plantation, Le Thi Phuong Mai's household in Team 4 has 1.5 hectares of 15-year-old rubber trees, but nearly 0.5 hectares of rubber trees were completely uprooted and broken by a tornado. Ms. Mai said: "Most of my family's income comes from rubber. Every year, there are several storms that break many trees. Now, there are few rubber trees left and we can't make any profit by tapping them. Each hectare has 50-70 trees. Before, we earned 7-8 million VND per month, now we earn 2 million VND per month, not enough for family expenses."

Team 4 of Xuan Thanh Agricultural One Member Co., Ltd. currently has 40 households growing rubber with an area of ​​nearly 50 hectares. Through counting, it is estimated that about 25 hectares are broken, tilted and uprooted.

Mr. Vu Huu Lien, team 1, next to rubber trees broken by the tornado. Photo: Huy Nham

Mr. Nguyen Trong Dung, Team Leader of Team 4 - Xuan Thanh Agricultural One Member Co., Ltd. said: "Each hectare has 40-50 broken trees. Now the unit's command board and households are conducting an inventory of the most specific broken number to propose a solution to the company."

According to incomplete statistics, nearly 100 hectares out of the total area of ​​491 hectares of the Company were damaged with about 40,000 rubber trees broken and uprooted. The estimated damage is several billion VND. Of which, Team 1, Team 4 and Team 6 suffered the most damage, with about 40 hectares of rubber trees broken. Currently, the farm leaders have assigned staff to go directly to the scene to inspect and remedy the consequences.

"Currently, we are establishing 3 teams with units and contracted households to count the number of trees damaged by the tornado. At the same time, we continue to direct teams and households to fix the problem by sawing and burning broken trees to continue stabilizing the exploitation and production of rubber trees" - Mr. Hoang Minh, Director of Xuan Thanh Agricultural One Member Co., Ltd. said.

Huy Nham - Trung Hieu