Farmers in Nghe An province have been working in the fields and by the sea since the beginning of the year.

Farmers rush to the fields.

In the early days of the year, in most localities throughout the province, from the plains to the mountainous districts, farmers have been out in the fields since early morning to prepare the land and sow seeds in preparation for the 2025 spring planting season.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien from Nghia Binh commune (Nghia Dan district) said that this spring her family planted 3.5 sao (approximately 0.35 hectares) of rice. This is the main production season of the year, so the family proactively bought lime powder, treated the fields, and hired machinery to prepare the land from the end of 2024. In the early days of 2025, the family began sowing seedlings, and at the same time, prepared various supplies and planted according to the seasonal schedule.

Mr. Lam Van Thang, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Nghia Dan district, said: “From mid-December 2024, the district directed irrigation units to regulate water from reservoirs and dams to serve farmers in land preparation and rice seedling planting. Accordingly, by the beginning of 2025, almost the entire area of ​​spring rice production land will have been prepared using mechanization. For the 2025 spring crop, Nghia Dan district will plant 3,500 hectares, of which 2,800 hectares will be hybrid rice varieties, and the rest will be purebred rice varieties.”

In the fields of Dien Chau, Yen Thanh, and Do Luong districts, the atmosphere of starting production at the beginning of the new year is equally bustling. Besides focusing on land preparation and sowing for the spring crop according to the seasonal schedule, the agricultural sector is also directing localities to advise farmers to harvest winter crops when they reach maturity; focus on caring for vegetable crops; and intensify care and disease prevention for livestock.

Yen Thanh District is the rice granary of the province, therefore, the preparation for the spring crop production is given special attention by the local authorities. Mr. Nguyen Trong Huong - Director of the Yen Thanh District Agricultural Services Center said: For the upcoming spring crop, the entire district will plant 12,800 hectares of rice. Accordingly, the district will structure the main hybrid rice varieties: Thai Xuyen 111, VT 868, Thuy Huong 307, Phu Uu 98; For purebred rice, the varieties will be: TVR 225, Bac Thom 7 and various glutinous rice varieties. By the beginning of 2025, farmers had proactively prepared the land and started sowing seedlings.

Nghe An province aims for a food production target of approximately 1.2 million tons in 2025; of which, the spring crop in 2025 must achieve 708,800 tons. Accordingly, the province will strive to plant 90,500 hectares of rice and about 20,000 hectares of corn, peanuts, and various vegetables in the upcoming spring crop. The province's guiding principle is to be flexible, decisive, and mobilize the entire political system to focus on directing production; maximizing and developing all resources to ensure the spring crop in 2025 achieves the highest possible area, yield, and production, while ensuring safe and highly efficient production.

Fishermen actively stay at sea.

In these early days of the new year, despite unfavorable weather conditions at sea and the continued strengthening of the monsoon, fishermen are present at fishing ports throughout the province, preparing for their first fishing trip of the year.

Mr. Ho Anh Son, manager of Lach Quen Fishing Port (Quynh Luu), said that due to unfavorable weather conditions at sea at the end of the year, with increased cold air and rough seas, fishermen are waiting for the most favorable time to go out to sea to fish, avoiding the situation where they have to return due to monsoon winds, which wastes fuel, as the catch is not yet substantial. Therefore, in these early days of the new year, fishermen using large-capacity vessels that stay at sea for extended periods are not in a hurry to go out to sea, but are instead focusing on thoroughly preparing their fishing gear and equipment, ensuring a successful catch each time they set sail.

For fishermen in Dien Chau, most of whom fish near the shore, the first days of the new year are spent at sea. Therefore, the Lach Van fishing port (Dien Chau) remains bustling with boats returning to port and buying and selling seafood on the first day of the new year. The fishermen say that even on New Year's Day, they still go out to sea to earn extra income.

Veteran fisherman Tran Hung from Dien Bich commune confided: "For us fishermen, we still go out to sea as usual during New Year's Day and other holidays. The fishing time is short, only one night, in nearshore waters, so the catch isn't large. Roughly speaking, this first fishing trip of the year, my boat caught over 200 kg of various seafood, including valuable items like mantis shrimp, squid, and crab, worth over 4 million dong."

According to the Lach Van Fishing Port Management Board: On the first day of the new year 2025, fishermen in Dien Chau still went out to sea. Because they fish with small-capacity boats, they usually go out late at night and return to shore by noon the next day. Therefore, the seafood caught is not large, mainly a small amount of squid, shrimp, crabs, and small fish... after deducting expenses, each boat only makes a profit of 1-2 million VND. From 10 am, the fishing boats begin to return to port, and the bustling seafood trading only lasts for about two hours. In this way, Dien Chau fishermen stay at sea year-round, only taking a 3-4 day break during the Lunar New Year.

In 2024, despite facing many difficulties in the fishing industry, fishermen made efforts to overcome the challenges, with an estimated seafood catch of 214 tons, exceeding the planned 193 tons, a 3.3% increase compared to 2023. This also serves as motivation for fishermen in the province to continue to leverage their experience and creativity in fishing in 2025, while investing in more modern equipment on their fishing vessels to achieve higher efficiency.