Highland farmers busy harvesting rice to avoid storm Mangkhut
(Baonghean.vn) - Before the information that the circulation of super typhoon Mangkhut will cause rain in the provinces of the Northern and North Central regions, including Nghe An, many farmers in the mountainous district of Con Cuong accepted to "better at home than in the fields" by harvesting rice when it is just ripe to avoid damage.
Ms. La Thi Cuc, Luc Da commune, Con Cuong district said: After hearing on the news that there was going to be heavy rain, my husband and I prepared our belongings and called more people to finish harvesting 2 sao of rice early this morning (September 15).
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People are busy harvesting rice in the fields. Photo: Minh Hanh |
In many fields in Chi Khe commune, people are rushing to harvest rice to avoid the storm. Ms. Lo Thi Minh, Tong Chai village, Chi Khe commune shared: "This crop, my family has grown 2 sao, mainly NA2 and Song Lam 9 rice varieties. Although the rice is only 60-70% ripe, we still have to harvest because we are afraid of another flood like the previous one."
According to Ms. Minh, this year's summer-autumn crop yield is lower than previous years, the reason being that the rice flowering stage was continuously hit by heavy rains due to the recent storms No. 3 and No. 4, leading to many areas of rice having empty grains.
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Most of the rice area is currently only 75% ripe but must be harvested. Photo: Minh Hanh |
In the 2018 summer-autumn crop, Con Cuong district planted over 400 hectares of rice, mainly purebred and high-quality purebred rice. As of September 14, the district had harvested over 30% of the summer-autumn rice area. Initial assessment of the summer-autumn rice areas in the highlands showed that the rice yield was about 57 quintals/ha. Some areas were flooded and had a high rate of empty grains, so the yield was only about 48 quintals/ha.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngan - Head of the Con Cuong District Plant Protection and Cultivation Station said: "After receiving information about super typhoon Mangkhut and its circulation causing heavy rain in the Northern provinces, including Nghe An, the District People's Committee directed localities to focus on response, trying to harvest rice that is over 75% ripe, avoiding causing damage to farmers".