Farmers in Thanh Chuong harvest their summer-autumn rice crop to escape the floods.

(Baonghean.vn) - To avoid flooding and to ensure timely and effective implementation of the winter crop, people in Thanh Chuong district are taking advantage of the opportunity to harvest the summer-autumn rice crop.

Residents of Linh Son village, Thanh Linh commune (Thanh Chuong district) use rafts to harvest their summer-autumn crops while fleeing floods. Photo: Dinh Ha.

Despite the rain, Ms. Hoang Thi Thuy from Linh Son Hamlet, Thanh Linh Commune (Thanh Chuong District) still rushed to the fields to harvest her summer-autumn rice crop. Her rice pad is located in a deep field; the water level was only shallow the previous afternoon, but by morning it had risen to the neck of the rice stalks. Experienced farmers say, "better to harvest while the rice is still green than to let it ripen completely," so she had to hurry and harvest, otherwise she might lose everything.

At this time, Ms. Ngo Thi Hue in Hamlet 7, Xuan Tuong Commune, is also urgently hiring workers to harvest the rice crop that was flattened by heavy rain; if not quickly harvested, both the rice and straw submerged in water will be damaged.

The joy of a bountiful summer-autumn rice harvest. Photo: Dinh Ha

Not far from Xuan Tuong commune, Mr. and Mrs. Nguyen Si Luc in Hamlet 7, Thanh Luong commune, have harvested more than 3 sao (approximately 0.3 hectares) of summer-autumn rice and are taking advantage of the time to dry the straw to feed their cows. Mr. Luc said that because of the heavy rain, drying the rice and straw is very difficult; the threshed rice can be threshed indoors while waiting for the sun, but the straw must be dried immediately to provide food for the buffaloes and cows.

According to the production plan, Thanh Chuong district planted approximately 5,500 hectares of rice during this year's summer-autumn crop season. Thanks to favorable weather and good intensive farming practices, an estimated 3,000 hectares of early-season rice in the communes of Thanh Linh, Dong Van, Thanh Duong, Thanh Luong, Xuan Tuong, Thanh Lien, etc., have already been harvested. This is an area where early harvesting is usually a sure bet.

After harvesting, the rice is threshed immediately to prevent it from sprouting. Photo: Dinh Ha

According to preliminary calculations, after 3 days of planting, the entire district has harvested about 800 hectares. Mr. Nguyen Hoai Anh - Vice Chairman of Thanh Linh Commune People's Committee shared: "To have an early summer-autumn rice crop, we have to sow seedlings when the spring rice is just flowering, and transplant them immediately after harvesting, unlike the late crop which requires direct sowing after harvesting. In the context of summer-autumn rice crops always being threatened by natural disasters at the end of the season, this is an innovative and suitable approach."

Taking advantage of the time to dry straw to use as feed for buffaloes and cows. Photo: Dinh Ha

Mr. Le Dinh Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Thanh Chuong District People's Committee, added: "After many years of making it a main production season, this year's summer-autumn crop in Thanh Chuong remains stable in areas with stable water sources. Thanks to timely planting and good care, this season continues to yield a good harvest. The district is directing people to harvest the ripe rice as soon as possible, following the principle of 'better to harvest while still green than wait until it's overripe,' both to avoid flooding and to prepare for the winter crop. Next year, the district will be more decisive in its directives to ensure more early-season rice cultivation to avoid flooding."

Dinh Ha