Farmers in Nghe An are urgently working to salvage their summer-autumn rice crop damaged by flooding.
Due to the heavy rain on May 29th, many newly planted rice fields in Yen Thanh and Dien Chau districts were flooded and damaged. Immediately after the water receded, farmers quickly returned to the fields, focusing on thinning and replanting to meet the production schedule for the summer-autumn crop.
Due to the heavy rains on May 29th, large areas of newly planted rice in flood-prone districts such as Yen Thanh and Dien Chau were submerged and severely damaged, forcing local authorities and residents to urgently implement remedial measures.
Meanwhile, thanks to later planting, the districts of Quỳnh Lưu, Nghi Lộc, Hưng Nguyên, and Đô Lương were fortunate not to be affected by this heavy rain.
In Yen Thanh district, many areas of newly sown rice fields were deeply flooded and damaged. After the water receded, farmers quickly went back to the fields to repair the damage. Ms. Nguyen Thi Binh (Xuan Thanh commune) said: “My family had 2 sao (approximately 0.2 hectares) of rice flooded, but now we have prepared the land and resown. We also covered the fields with plastic sheeting to protect them from rats.”
According to Mr. Phan Hoang Thu, Chairman of the People's Committee of Xuan Thanh commune, the locality has sown and planted over 70% of the area so far. The damaged areas have been largely restored, thanks to favorable weather conditions and decisive direction from the authorities. "We also requested the hamlets to clear drainage ditches to ensure proper water drainage during heavy rains," Mr. Thu said.
In Long Thanh commune, approximately 35 hectares of rice fields were flooded, with many areas severely damaged. Mr. Duong Hoai Khoa, a farmer from Van Trang hamlet, shared: “My family had 6 sao (approximately 0.6 hectares) of rice damaged after the rain. We have urgently replanted and fertilized the rice to help it recover.”
According to Mr. Nguyen Van De, Chairman of the Long Thanh Commune People's Committee, the commune has planted over 500 hectares of summer-autumn rice. Currently, over 90% of the affected area has been rehabilitated by farmers, mainly through replanting and thinning. In addition, farmers are actively catching golden apple snails – a pest that outbreaks during the flooding period.
To ensure agricultural production, local authorities are mobilizing forces to dredge canals and drainage ditches in residential areas, increasing drainage capacity and preventing further flooding.
According to Mr. Le Van Hong, Head of the Agriculture and Environment Department of Yen Thanh district, the entire district has planted 6,000 out of 11,500 hectares of summer-autumn rice. Currently, over 50 hectares were flooded and damaged, but farmers have already repaired over 80% of the affected area. It is expected that Yen Thanh district will complete the summer-autumn rice planting by June 20th.
In Dien Chau district, heavy rains also caused flooding in about 70 hectares of newly sown rice, mainly in Dien Thai, Dien Nguyen, and Dien Ky communes. According to Mr. Le The Hieu, Deputy Head of the District's Agriculture and Environment Department, remediation efforts in the communes have been basically completed, with over 85% of the area now in need. The entire district has sown 3,500 hectares out of a planned 6,000 hectares and is expected to complete the summer-autumn rice planting before June 15th.
