Nghe An province issues urgent directive to eradicate pests and diseases affecting rice crops.

(Baonghean.vn) - Faced with the complex pest and disease situation affecting the summer-autumn and main rice crops, the People's Committee of Nghe An province has issued an urgent directive requesting relevant agencies and people to take action to save the rice crops.

Nghe An: Nearly 23,000 hectares of rice infected with bacterial blight and brown spot disease.

According to a report from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the summer-autumn rice crop is currently in the heading to milky stage; the main crop is in the tillering to heading stage. In the fields, brown planthoppers and white-backed planthoppers are emerging and causing damage with a common density of 300-500 individuals/m2, reaching 2,000-3,000 individuals/m2 in some areas, and exceptionally exceeding 5,000 individuals/m2. The entire province currently has over 3,000 hectares infested with planthoppers, of which over 100 hectares are severely infested.

Farmers in Hung Nguyen spray pesticides to kill brown planthoppers that are damaging rice crops. Photo: Thanh Tam.

In the coming period, brown planthoppers and white-backed planthoppers will continue to increase in both scope and severity of damage. Many areas with high planthopper densities will experience "planthopper outbreaks," significantly impacting yields if timely and effective spraying is not organized.

To minimize damage caused by brown planthoppers and white-backed planthoppers to rice production in the Summer-Autumn 2017 crop season, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requests the Chairmen of the People's Committees of districts, cities, and towns; Directors of Departments; and Heads of relevant units to effectively implement the following:

The Chairpersons of the People's Committees of districts, cities, and towns shall establish pest control steering teams to focus on directing functional departments and agencies in their areas to closely monitor the situation at the grassroots level and organize propaganda and guidance for farmers to promptly control brown planthoppers and white-backed planthoppers according to the instructions of specialized agencies; organize and direct the effective implementation of the Provincial People's Committee's regulations on the management of plant protection products in the area; direct the People's Committees of communes, wards, and towns where brown planthoppers and white-backed planthoppers are causing severe damage, mobilizing the entire political system to focus on timely and effective control; proactively balance local budgets to support farmers in areas with severe planthopper outbreaks and damage; work with plant protection product companies to supply farmers with specific pesticides as recommended by specialized agencies for effective control.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is requested to assign its leaders and relevant departments to organize inspections and direct the control of brown planthoppers and white-backed planthoppers in localities; especially in localities with large areas of brown planthopper and white-backed planthopper infestations, in order to coordinate with the People's Committees of districts, cities, and towns to monitor the situation and provide timely control measures; and to establish pest control steering teams to coordinate with localities in guiding and directing farmers to effectively control brown planthoppers and white-backed planthoppers.

Direct the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection to assign staff from the Department's Office and affiliated stations to closely monitor the situation on the ground to investigate, detect, estimate, and accurately forecast areas requiring pest control, and promptly notify localities and farmers to organize effective pest control, avoiding complacency in spraying or spraying in areas that do not need spraying, which affects the environment and wastes money for the people; Strengthen inspection and control of the business of plant protection products to detect and strictly handle cases of trading in unregistered, counterfeit, and substandard products; Coordinate with mass media agencies to disseminate information about the emergence, development, and damage caused by planthoppers and advise and guide farmers to implement timely and effective control measures;

The Provincial People's Committee directs the Agricultural Extension Center to deploy technical staff to closely monitor the situation at the grassroots level, focusing on coordinating with the Crop Production & Plant Protection Department and People's Committees at all levels to disseminate information and guide farmers in timely and effective pest and disease control; coordinating with the Department of Finance to advise and submit to the Provincial People's Committee for financial support to purchase pesticides to control brown planthoppers and white-backed planthoppers for localities to control them promptly when necessary; with special priority given to high mountainous districts.

The Department of Finance is requested to coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to promptly advise the Provincial People's Committee on providing financial support for the control of brown planthoppers and white-backed planthoppers to localities when necessary, in order to control the emergence and development of planthoppers; especially in high mountainous districts...

PV