Farmers actively stick to fields after rain to "relieve drought"

(Baonghean) - After the rain on the night of June 21, people in the districts of Hung Nguyen, Nam Dan, Anh Son, Quynh Luu, Dien Chau, etc. rushed to the fields to get water for production. Although the rain was not heavy, this was considered a "golden rain" that partly quenched the "thirst" for agricultural production after long days of drought.

We arrived early in the fields in Hung Nguyen, Nam Dan. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hau (Hamlet 4, Nam Giang, Nam Dan) shared with a smile: "Lying down listening to the rain at night, I couldn't sleep, I just wanted to go to the fields quickly to plant seedlings, to ease the pain of the rice after the drought". In the high fields in Kim Lien commune (Nam Dan), people also went to the fields to work. When the rain came, they were excited but still worried because it was not enough to supplement the entire field. Ms. Chu Thi Huong (Hamlet Hoi 4, Kim Lien) said: "We took a little water into the field and then turned it on to the fields behind, sharing a little bit each place, because the high fields behind were very severely droughted".

However, in general, thanks to this "golden rain", water from the canals in Hung Dao and Hung Nguyen Town was supplemented in large quantities; people were excited to use hoes and shovels to bring water to their fields. The newly sown summer-autumn rice was greener, the water level in the fields in some places was up to half the stalks, and could withstand the heat for a certain period of time. Not only rice, but also other crops such as beans, sesame, etc. were "revived". However, according to farmers, the low-lying fields and those near the canals "benefited" the most from the rain, while the high-lying fields still had to wait for more rain to plant the summer-autumn crop.

Taking advantage of the rain, farmers in Hoa Son commune (Anh Son) went to the fields to plant summer-autumn rice on the remaining areas. Photo: Huyen Trang (Dai Anh Son)

Taking advantage of the rainy weather, Anh Son district is directing sectors, localities and farmers to speed up the care and planting of the new crop. In many communes, the atmosphere of going to the fields after the rain is as joyful as a festival. Farmers in Hoa Son commune are rushing to go to the fields to plant summer-autumn rice on areas that have long been drought-stricken. While quickly building the field banks, Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong in Hamlet 2, Hoa Son commune excitedly said: "Thanks to the rain, my family's 5 sao of rice can be planted. This summer-autumn crop has hope again!". In vegetable growing communes such as Cam Son, the watermelon and squash fields are green and lush after the rain, according to the people, the rain is equivalent to months of watering.

Farmers in Hung Dao (Hung Nguyen) go to the fields to regulate water to take care of summer-autumn rice. Photo: Quang An

According to the plan, in the summer-autumn crop of 2015, Anh Son district planted 2,900 hectares. Up to now, 1,677 hectares have been planted. Some communes have basically planted areas with proactive water sources such as: Tao Son, Lang Son, Linh Son, Long Son, Phuc Son, Duc Son, Thach Son, Vinh Son and Tuong Son. In the remaining areas, farmers are taking advantage of the rain to get water to continue planting. For corn and bean areas, Anh Son district has also directed localities to focus on planting short-term, drought-resistant varieties such as B06, DK6919, VLN61. The planting season is from June 25 to June 30, 2015 at the latest. For other crops, depending on soil conditions and experience of each region, Anh Son district has directed localities to proactively arrange varieties such as melon, squash, squash, etc. to ensure high economic efficiency.

In the fields of Quynh Luu district, the heavy rain that lasted from the evening of June 21 to the morning of June 22 created favorable conditions for rice to grow. Some areas of unplanted seedlings had water to prepare the soil, and farmers started to produce the crop; some places weeded the rice, fertilized it with nitrogen, and sprayed pesticides to prevent diseases. Ms. Le Thi Tam in Hamlet 6, Quynh Hong Commune said: During the long hot days, the water in the fields was dry and could not weed the rice. Thanks to this rain, the whole family went to the fields to weed and take care of the rice. The hot weather that lasted for many days has made it impossible for some localities of Quynh Luu district such as Quynh Hoa, Quynh Bang, and Quynh Thanh to produce the 2015 summer-autumn crop; the whole district has about 100 hectares that have not been planted. Taking advantage of the rain, communes in the drought area are directing people to pump and drain water, taking advantage of the rainwater to sow rice and finish the crop before June 30.

Mr. Truong Minh Chau, Head of the Crop Production Department of Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: “On June 22, the department inspected and repaired production in many districts in the province. People are going to the fields to take care of the rice. Before June 21, the whole province still had 5,000 hectares of land without water for planting. This is a favorable time for the districts to direct people to sow and plant the remaining summer-autumn areas that have not been planted yet. At the same time, farmers need to go to the fields to take care of, prune, weed, and fertilize the rice; and sow summer-autumn vegetables and beans.”

Farmers' production experience shows that: After planting for a while, if there is rain, it is necessary to fertilize the rice for tillering when the rice has taken root and turned green with about 3 - 4 kg of urea + 2 - 3 kg of potassium chloride/sao or 8 - 10 kg of Dau Trau L1 NPK or 3-color fertilizer (12:5:10-14). Maintain a water level of 2-3 cm to help the rice tiller smoothly. If there are many showers at the time of fertilizing the rice for tillering, it is necessary to reduce the amount of nitrogen to balance the nutrition for the rice.

Quang An, Huyen Trang, Viet Hung