Local authorities are working to repair crop damage caused by heavy rains.

(Baonghean.vn) - Due to the influence of a low-pressure system, heavy rain and strong winds over the past two days have caused hundreds of hectares of rice fields to be flooded and vegetable crops to be damaged. Local authorities have promptly implemented measures to minimize crop damage.

In the 2016 summer-autumn crop season, the entireQuynh Luu district5,600 hectares of rice have been planted; at this time, 80% of the rice is ripe, but farmers are still rushing to the fields to harvest it.

Approximately 200 hectares of rice fields in Quynh Luu district have been flattened due to heavy rains in recent days.

According to preliminary statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quynh Luu district, as of September 13th, only over 1,000 hectares of summer-autumn rice had been harvested throughout the district, lagging behind the planned schedule due to weather conditions. Heavy rain and strong winds caused nearly 200 hectares of rice ready for harvest in the district to be flattened and flooded.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Dinh, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Quynh Luu district, said: Currently, more than 3,000 hectares of rice belonging to local people cannot be harvested due to bad weather. The district has issued a document requesting communes to direct farmers to take advantage of all favorable conditions to harvest the rice with the motto "better to harvest while the rice is still green than to let it ripen too much in the field".

Heavy rain is forecast for the coming days, and farmers are currently focusing on harvesting their rice crops. Mr. Nguyen Van Hung from Quynh Hau commune said, "My family planted 4 sao (approximately 0.4 hectares) of rice, and the heavy rain over the past few days has caused more than 1 sao to be flattened. If we don't harvest it, the rice will remain submerged in water for too long and spoil, so my family had to harvest it and leave it on the bank under protection, waiting for sunny weather to bring it home to dry."

Large areas of vegetable crops in several communes specializing in vegetable cultivation were also damaged by heavy rains.

In communes specializing in commercial vegetable production such as Quynh Minh, Quynh Luong, Quynh Bang, and Quynh Van, the heavy rain that lasted continuously for the past two days has damaged some newly planted vegetable crops. Therefore, in addition to harvesting vegetables under the rain, local people are actively using methods to clear drainage channels in the fields to minimize damage caused by flooding.

In Dien ChauCurrently, there are still about 3,000 hectares of summer-autumn rice that cannot be harvested, partly due to heavy rain and partly because some areas still have green rice plants. Heavy rain accompanied by strong winds has caused about 100 hectares of rice to be flattened, mainly in communes such as Dien Hoa, Dien Hanh, Dien Phuc, Dien Nguyen, etc.

To prevent rice from sprouting and spoiling, farmers are erecting stakes and tying the green rice plants into bundles, while draining the water from the fields to prevent flooding. For ripe rice, they are harvesting quickly.

Farmers gather to prop up rice plants that were knocked down by heavy rain.

For the 3,200 hectares of winter crops on arable land, planting was completed by the end of August, but the rains in the past few days have affected yields. In Dien Thinh commune, thanks to early planting, 300 hectares of winter peanuts are currently in the flowering stage. To minimize damage to crops, from September 13th, Dien Thinh commune notified residents to focus on draining water from the fields. The commune also opened drainage gates through the dike to drain water into the sea, while preventing saltwater from entering through the gates.

In Dien Thanh commune, in addition to the early-sown corn, peanuts, and leafy vegetables, farmers have now begun sowing seeds of kohlrabi, cabbage, cauliflower, etc. They have also started covering the crops with straw and using netting to protect the vegetables.

Given the ongoing heavy rains and flooding, on September 13th, the People's Committee of Dien Chau district issued a directive to all communes, urging them to harvest the summer-autumn rice crop and protect winter crops; instructing people to take advantage of dry weather to quickly harvest the summer-autumn rice crop. To speed up the harvest, farmers in Dien Chau have invested in purchasing new and renting 40 combine harvesters to directly harvest rice in the fields. In addition, about 200 hand-operated harvesters have also been mobilized to speed up the process. Furthermore, for the past two days, 19 sluice gates through the sea dike have been operating at full capacity, releasing water day and night to prevent the crops from being submerged.

In Nam DanHeavy rains accompanied by strong winds on September 12th and 13th caused flooding in 800 out of 6,000 hectares of summer-autumn rice crops, which were entering their ripening stage, belonging to local farmers. Many areas of rice fields were deeply submerged, risking total crop loss if the rain continues in the coming days.

In response to this situation, Nam Dan district mobilized farmers to take advantage of the lull in the rain to harvest their rice crops. Because the rice had been flattened, in low-lying areas people had to harvest manually by hand, while in higher areas, combine harvesters were deployed to ensure the harvesting progress and minimize damage caused by heavy rain.

At the same time, focus on directing communes to quickly drain water from the fields to prevent prolonged flooding that could damage winter crop production, especially winter corn crops, and minimize crop damage.

Viet Hung - Mai Giang - Hong Suong