Highland farmers find water to grow summer-autumn rice
(Baonghean.vn) - Near the end of June, many localities in Nghe An are still affected by the heat, leading to a lack of water for summer-autumn rice cultivation. In many highland districts, people are proactively seeking drought-fighting measures to ensure the sowing schedule.
On June 19, in Chau Hanh commune, Quy Chau district, some areas of about 1 hectare of summer-autumn rice crop lacked water and could not be planted. Instead of waiting for rain, to support farmers in overcoming difficulties, the Youth Union of Chau Hanh commune mobilized forces to dig roads and connect water pipes from streams to the fields to help people.
In Quy Chau district, some other communes such as Chau Tien and Chau Binh also face local water shortages. However, people have made efforts to find ways to bring water to their fields to sow the summer-autumn rice crop on time.
Mr. Nguyen Xuan Linh - an officer of the Agricultural Service Center of Quy Chau district said that the whole district planted about 1,800 hectares of winter-spring rice. Currently, localities are preparing the land for sowing and planting.
In Mau Duc commune, Con Cuong district, it is expected that the whole commune will have about 320 hectares of winter-spring rice. In mid-June, after harvesting the spring rice crop and completing plowing and harrowing, people prepare to sow rice seedlings for winter-spring rice planting.
According to the staff of Mau Duc Commune People's Committee, currently, about 60% of the commune's winter-spring rice fields have enough water to sow rice seedlings and prepare for transplanting; some households sow directly. Nearly 40% of the remaining area is lacking water, concentrated in some remote villages such as Chom Boi, Chom Muong... Currently, people have temporarily stopped planting, or proactively sought water sources to overcome the problem and meet the crop's needs in time.
Mr. Lo Van Ly - Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Con Cuong district said that the whole district has about 2,500 hectares of rice. Of which, the summer-autumn rice area accounts for about 500 hectares, mainly in Luc Da and Mon Son communes. The remaining area is planted by people in the winter-spring rice crop, distributed throughout most of the remaining communes; currently people are planting rice seedlings.
"Some localities on the left bank of the Lam River such as Cam Lam, Binh Chuan, Mau Duc, Thach Ngan... are lacking water for local planting. In order to avoid delaying the planting schedule, localities are instructing people to proactively find water, and take water for irrigation in rotation from lakes, dams, and natural water sources" - Mr. Lo Van Ly said.
Located in an area that is often hot and drought-prone, villages in Tuong Duong district are also struggling to find water for the rice crop.
In Luong Minh commune, Mr. Vi Dinh Phuc - Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune said that the water level on the Ban Ve Hydropower Reservoir is getting lower and lower, along with the intense heat, many rice growing areas in Xop Chao and Ca Moong villages of the commune have cracked land and severe drought.
In Tam Quang commune, some villages are also facing difficulties in water sources for rice cultivation such as Bai So and Lien Huong villages... To proactively provide irrigation water, people have invested in buying water pipes from streams, or renting water pumps from sources near the fields.
According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, this summer-autumn crop, Nghe An planted 81,000 hectares of rice, of which 58,000 hectares were summer-autumn rice and 23,500 hectares were winter-spring rice.
However, the summer-autumn crop - season 2023 is facing many difficulties and challenges; prolonged heat and severe drought are causing many lakes and dams to gradually dry up. The temperature is generally 0.5ºC higher than the average of many years, the total rainfall is 5-10% lower than the average of many years. Many localities have to regulate water for production and drought prevention, especially some highland localities.