Nghe An province will have approximately 4,200 hectares of rice fields facing water shortages during the summer-autumn crop season.
(Baonghean.vn) - Based on weather forecasts and current water resources, over 4,200 hectares of rice fields in Nghe An province are at risk of drought and water shortage during the 2024 summer-autumn crop season. Proactive drought mitigation measures are crucial for the agricultural sector and local authorities to focus on from the very beginning of the production season.
On the morning of April 15th, the Provincial People's Committee held a conference to implement the crop production plan for the summer-autumn season of 2024.
The conference was chaired by comrades: Nguyen Van De - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; and Phung Thanh Vinh - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Over 4,200 out of 79,500 hectares of rice fields are at risk of drought and lack of irrigation water.
According to forecasts, this year's summer-autumn crop production will take place under conditions of early and intense hot weather, with lower rainfall than the same period in 2023. There is a high risk of heatwaves and droughts from the beginning of the season, and a high risk of flooding and waterlogging towards the end of the season. It is estimated that over 4,200 out of a total of 79,500 hectares of rice are at risk of water shortage and drought. In addition, there is a potential risk of several pests and diseases causing significant damage.
To achieve the target of nearly 413,000 tons of food in the 2024 summer-autumn crop season, the agricultural sector has developed a production plan, arranging the structure of crop varieties, planting seasons, and other factors to suit the specific conditions of each production region. Along with this, the sector is expanding the area of safe crops to increase the value of agricultural products; simultaneously, it is promoting land consolidation and concentration; linking farmers with cooperatives and businesses, and ensuring product consumption to increase value and stabilize production. It is also promoting and expanding the application of advanced techniques and processes in production such as IPM, SRI, ICM, etc.
In particular, focus on implementing crop restructuring and seasonal changes in areas lacking water throughout the growing season, where production is unsafe and inefficient, in order to ensure safe production and increase income.
Mobilize the entire political system to direct production.
Concluding the conference, Mr. Phung Thanh Vinh, Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, stated: Given the forecast of drought at the beginning of the season and the risk of storms and tornadoes at the end, it is necessary to organize the planting of summer-autumn rice with the motto "as early as possible," prioritizing safety and efficiency above all else. The timing of the spring rice harvest and water distribution capacity must be considered to select the appropriate time for seedling preparation, direct sowing, and seed varieties to ensure complete coverage and avoid floods, storms, and tropical depressions at the end of the season. Effective investigation, detection, estimation, and forecasting of pests and diseases from their initial stages are crucial for timely control and prevention.
“The irrigation sector and localities should develop drought prevention plans and rational irrigation plans to ensure proactive response when drought occurs. They should repair field and plot embankments, dredge canals to ensure smooth water flow, implement water-saving irrigation from the beginning of the season, and arrange specific and appropriate water cutoff schedules to effectively and promptly serve irrigation needs for production.”
Nghe An province also directed localities, based on the province's production plan, to develop specific production plans that closely reflect their own realities in order to maximize existing advantages. The plans must demonstrate high aspirations, with outstanding targets that are appropriate to the actual situation, and the organizational and implementation solutions must be proactive and decisive to ensure success in production.
Local authorities must consider the task of directing summer-autumn crop production as a crucial political task, mobilizing the entire political system, assigning specific tasks to relevant collectives and individuals; at the same time, they should organize inspections and work directly with communes and units to gather information, identify difficulties and obstacles, and resolve them promptly.
