Hung Nguyen is urgently harvesting the summer-autumn rice crop.

(Baonghean.vn) – While rice in Hung Dao, Hung Tay, Hung Yen communes, etc., is in the heading stage, preparing to bloom, in many fields in Hung Xa, Hung Linh, Hung Nhan, Hung Tan, Hung Tien, Hung Trung communes (Hung Nguyen district), farmers are busy harvesting the summer-autumn rice crop to escape flooding.

The rice is about 70% ripe, but farmers in Hung Nguyen are still rushing to harvest it.

In some low-lying communes with flood-prone summer-autumn rice fields such as Hung Nhan, Hung Trung, Hung Linh, Hung Loi, Hung Tan, Hung Tien, etc., thanks to proactively preparing seedlings and transplanting them early with short-day rice varieties, farmers are now beginning to harvest their summer-autumn rice crop.

Hung Nhan is a low-lying commune located outside the left bank of the Lam River, and it is frequently flooded every year, making summer-autumn rice production unstable. Mr. Phan Dinh Hoan, Chairman of the Hung Nhan Commune People's Committee, said: “In some years, just as the summer-autumn rice was beginning to ripen, farmers hadn't had time to harvest when heavy rains and floodwaters from upstream submerged over 100 hectares of rice fields. Therefore, the commune's Party committee and government have always been concerned about finding suitable short-day rice varieties for Hung Nhan's land. In the 2016 summer-autumn season, Hung Nhan introduced short-day rice varieties such as Thien Uu 8, LC270, and glutinous rice to mitigate the effects of flooding. Currently, the summer-autumn rice is 70-80% ripe, and the commune is directing farmers to focus on harvesting to ensure the highest possible yield.”

Farmers in Hung Tan harvest their summer-autumn crop.

In the rice fields of Hamlet 2, Hung Tan Commune, the rice is only 60-70% ripe, but many farmers are already standing on the embankments with sacks, waiting to hire rice harvesting machines. Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan from Hamlet 2, Hung Tan Commune, said: "My family cultivates 7 sao (approximately 0.7 hectares) of glutinous rice. Yesterday we harvested 4 sao; the rice isn't fully ripe yet, but since we have machines available, we'll hire them today. The weather this season is very unpredictable, so it's best to harvest it and bring it home for peace of mind."

Mr. Ho Sy Ve from Hamlet 1, Hung Tan Commune, said: "My family cultivates nearly 2 acres of rice. The fields in Hamlet 1 are low-lying and easily flooded, so after harvesting the spring rice, we immediately return to preparing the land for planting the summer-autumn rice crop. My family cultivates 1 hectare, but we've already finished harvesting it all."

As a low-lying area, Hung Trung commune often experiences flooding at the end of the summer-autumn crop season, so farmers proactively transplant seedlings to shorten the planting time. This year, the entire commune cultivated 370 hectares of rice. Despite severe drought at the beginning of the season, the commune mobilized all resources to combat the drought and ensure the entire area was harvested according to the schedule. As a result, Hung Trung's summer-autumn rice crop is now ready for harvest. Following the principle of "better to harvest early than late," the commune directed farmers to harvest early to ensure a successful harvest.

Farmers in Hung Nguyen take advantage of the rain-free weather to dry their rice.

Due to the prolonged drought and lack of water for production, this year's summer-autumn crop production is facing significant difficulties. Although Hung Nguyen has made efforts to combat the drought and planted over 4,600 hectares, the planting seasons vary by a month.

Currently, about 30-40% of the early-planted rice crop has begun to ripen, and farmers have harvested 50% of the area. Some areas will not be ready for harvest until after September 20th. Particularly in the communes of Hung Tay, Hung Yen Nam, and Hung Yen Bac, some areas were only planted at the end of July, so the rice is currently in the heading stage, preparing to flower.

“The district has instructed farmers to harvest the rice as soon as it ripens to prepare for the winter crop. Especially in low-lying areas, where summer-autumn crops are grown to avoid flooding, harvesting is only necessary when the rice is 70% ripe to avoid natural disasters,” said Mr. Hoang Duc An, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Hung Nguyen District.

Thanh Tam