Many tea areas in Thanh Chuong and Anh Son are dry and burnt due to the hot weather.

Agricultural officials of Thanh Chuong district check drought on tea plants in Thanh Mai commune. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Thanh Chuong district currently has 4,500 hectares of industrial tea. The heat wave that has lasted for over a month has caused many tea areas to wither, with a high risk of dying if the heat wave continues for another 7 days.

Mr. Nguyen Van Cong in Da Bia hamlet, Thanh Mai commune said that his family has nearly 1 hectare of industrial tea that is 10 years old. The heat wave that has lasted for the past month has completely dried out his family's tea garden.

Mr. Dau Dinh Nhat - Head of Da Bia Hamlet, Thanh Mai Commune (Thanh Chuong) said that the hamlet has 65 hectares of industrial tea, of which about 5 hectares have dried up. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Dau Dinh Nhat - Head of Da Bia Hamlet, Thanh Mai Commune (Thanh Chuong) said that the hamlet has 65 hectares of industrial tea, of which about 60 hectares are due to the active pumping of water from streams and creeks, so the level of withering is not serious. The remaining 5 hectares are severely withered due to being far from the water source, and the people are waiting for rain every day to save the tea garden.

Ten-year-old tea gardens in Thanh Chuong district have been burnt due to the heat wave that has lasted since early June. Photo: Xuan Hoang

According to the data of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Thanh Chuong district, by July 15, the whole district had over 140 hectares of tea that had dried up and died. Of these, 100 hectares had died from 40 - 70%, 40 hectares had died over 70%. "If the hot weather continues, the area of ​​industrial tea in the district that has dried up will increase" - Mr. Tran Phi Hung, Head of the Department of Agriculture of the district, worried.

Anh Son district is a locality with more than 2,500 hectares of industrial tea, the prolonged heat has caused many newly planted tea areas to dry up. Mr. Dang Dinh Luan - Head of the district's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said: For the area of ​​long-standing tea, it has not died due to the heat, because people have invested in irrigation systems, but the newly planted tea area has about 500 hectares that have died with a rate of 30 - 40%.

Many newly planted tea areas in Anh Son district have dried up due to the hot weather. Photo: Xuan Hoang

"For tea areas that have 70% or more dead, farmers must invest in replanting; if the death rate is 70% or less, farmers will replant after it rains," said Mr. Dang Dinh Luan.

Industrial tea has been a crop for many years, bringing a fairly high income to people, currently priced at 4,000 VND/kg. Prolonged hot weather has caused many tea areas to wither or die, affecting the income of many households./.