Farmers in Nghe An province have to harvest and sell immature corn after floods.

As the sun rises and the water drains from the fields, the fallen corn stalks begin to wither. To recoup some of their losses, farmers in Dien Hung are focusing on harvesting the corn stalks these days. Out of more than 200 hectares of early-planted winter corn in the commune, 50 hectares have been flattened and must be harvested prematurely.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu from Ngoc My village said: “My family planted 4 sao (approximately 0.4 hectares) of corn, but nearly 2 sao were flattened by rain and wind. Last year, we earned nearly 2 million VND per sao, but this year we only get 500,000 VND per sao. The remaining area also needs additional fertilizer and care to have a harvest. In general, farmers are suffering significant losses this winter corn season.”

Meanwhile, Ms. Tran Thi Lan, a farmer from Dien Hoang commune, said: "We planted early corn, and it was almost ready for harvest, but now it's all gone. They're buying it very cheaply. Some people are leaving the corn as is, using a tractor to crush it and turn it into green manure."

Corn is the main crop, occupying nearly one-third of the winter crop area in Dien Chau district with over 1,000 hectares, mainly on fertile land. In recent years, farmers have prioritized developing biomass corn and establishing supply links with dairy farming companies. During the recent heavy rains, approximately 300 hectares of winter corn in Dien Chau district were flooded and flattened beyond recovery.

Therefore, farmers were forced to harvest the corn prematurely to sell it, hoping to recoup some of their costs. However, due to the drying out of the corn, yields decreased, and livestock companies purchased it at very low prices, only half of what they paid in previous years. According to farmers' calculations, each plot of corn after the flood only yielded 500,000 - 600,000 VND, while the cost of cultivating each plot of winter corn was approximately 1,000,000 VND, not including plowing, sowing, and harvesting costs.

Mr. Le The Hieu, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Dien Chau district, said: According to statistics, the recent heavy rains have affected and damaged 1,025 hectares of winter crops. This includes 837 hectares of corn and peanuts, 134 hectares of vegetables, and 54 hectares of aquaculture. The most damage was to corn crops because this is the stage when the plants are developing heavy ears, making them very susceptible to breakage and irreparable damage. We have now compiled statistics on the damage caused by the recent heavy rains and submitted proposals to the District People's Committee and the Provincial People's Committee for some form of support for the farmers.