Quy Chau farmers overcome difficulties, racing against the times
Thanh Phuc - Hoai Thu•January 20, 2024 11:48
(Baonghean.vn) - Entering spring crop production with many difficulties: Rice fields were buried by rocks and soil and had to be treated; irrigation works were damaged so many areas lacked water for planting... However, Quy Chau farmers proactively overcame difficulties to plant on schedule.
Four months ago, a historic flood buried thousands of hectares of people's productive land. Most of which was rice fields. To have land for cultivation, Ms. Luong Thi Huong's family in Ban village (Chau Tien commune) had to hire an excavator to level the top layer of soil and rocks on the field at a cost of up to 7 million VND/2,500m2. Photo: Thanh PhucThe flood also buried half of the rice field of Ms. Lo Thi Huyen's family (Ban village, Chau Tien). "Because the rice field is close to the road, when the flood rose, all the soil and rocks poured down into the field, burying half of the area. In addition to hiring an excavator to level the top layer of soil and rocks, we also had to build a wide embankment to prevent the soil and rocks from flowing in." Photo: Hoai ThuMs. Huyen's family also had to use wooden planks, bamboo, and rattan to make a fence to protect the field from landslides. Photo: Thanh PhucAfter leveling the fields with excavators, the ground is weak, so to prevent water from leaking out of the fields and to prevent crabs and snails from harming the rice, many households use cement bags to cover the fields. Photo: Thanh PhucThe flood also washed away and damaged water wheels in the fields. Before the spring crop, households had to completely replace the water wheels leading to the fields. Photo: Hoai ThuCurrently, the entire Chau Tien commune has completed plowing and is speeding up the planting progress. Accordingly, up to now, over 200 hectares of rice have been planted. It is expected that by January 31, the entire area will be closed. Photo: Thanh PhucMs. Lu Thi Ha's family is one of the households that grows the most rice in Hoa Tien village, Chau Tien commune, with about 30 hectares. Ms. Ha grows rice twice a year, spring and summer. "The spring crop always yields higher than the summer crop. In the 2023 summer crop, the family failed, losing 30 hectares of rice due to flooding. Therefore, the family's food depends entirely on this spring crop." Photo: Hoai ThuTo speed up the progress, keep up with the season and take advantage of the warm sunshine, households in Quy Chau exchange labor with each other. Photo: Thanh PhucThis is the main crop of the year, with the highest expected yield and output. Therefore, people follow the sowing and transplanting techniques according to the crop schedule. In the photo: People in Quy Chau sow seedlings covered with nylon. Photo: Hoai ThuWhen transplanting, people use sickles to scoop the seedlings instead of pulling them up. “Planting seedlings with a sickle helps save a significant amount of seeds, resulting in high yields. In particular, we can take the initiative in sowing time, shorten the rice growing time, and avoid many pathogens that cause diseases to rice plants,” said Ms. Vi Thi Hong Quynh, a farmer in Chau Tien commune. Photo: Thanh PhucAccording to the 2024 spring crop production plan, the entire Quy Chau district will plant 1,850 hectares of rice. The crop schedule is arranged in 2 shifts, specifically as follows: Shift 1: Sowing seedlings from January 4 to 9, 2024, transplanting from January 24 to 29, 2024, using Thai Xuyen, Phu Uu 978, Japonica 2 varieties; Shift 2: Sowing seedlings on January 10 to 15, transplanting fromJanuary 30 - February 4, 2024, use varieties Thien Uu 8, SL 9, Bac Huong, Huong Thanh 8, BQ... Photo: Hoai Thu
