Farmers in Que Phong are busy harvesting their rice crop.
After days of prolonged rain, taking advantage of the sunny weather, farmers in Que Phong are rushing to the fields to harvest the rice crop. Some flooded rice fields have started to sprout, reducing yield and quality, so urgent action is needed.
On the morning of September 25th, residents of Tien Phong commune, Que Phong district, reported that after days of continuous rain on September 24th and 25th, they were trying to harvest their rice crop. This year, Tien Phong planted 297 hectares of rice, and by the morning of September 25th, 150 hectares had already been harvested.
Mr. Phan Xuan Hung, Deputy Director of the Que Phong District Agricultural Services Center, said that he has just directed localities to quickly harvest the rice crop to minimize the impact of rain and flooding. The Center has coordinated with the Que Phong branch of the Irrigation Company to help disadvantaged households harvest their rice crop. Specifically, the agencies helped Mr. Luong Van Hai and Mr. Lu Van Quynh in Tang village, Tien Phong commune, harvest their rice crop. These are two poor households facing difficult circumstances in the commune.
In the 2024 rice crop season, Que Phong district had over 2,274 hectares of rice planted across most communes, with a high concentration in Chau Kim (226 ha), Tien Phong (297 ha), Chau Thon (245.9 ha), Cam Muon (239.1 ha), Tri Le (373 ha), Nam Nhoong (107 ha), Muong Ngoc (209.8 ha), etc.
As of the morning of September 25th, farmers in the communes had harvested 189 hectares, with an expected yield of 50-55 quintals/hectare.
According to Mr. Phan Xuan Hung, it is expected that people will finish harvesting the main rice crop by the end of September. However, in the two communes of Tri Le and Nam Nhoong, which mainly cultivate specialty rice varieties like Japonica and Khau Cay Noi sticky rice, the harvest is expected to be 2-3 weeks later than in other localities. This is because these two areas have unique topography and a colder climate than other regions, resulting in a later time for the rice to flower and ripen. Currently, in Tri Le commune, only 200 hectares out of 373 hectares, and in Nam Nhoong, 17 hectares out of 107 hectares of rice have already flowered.
In some localities, due to the influence of the remnants of typhoons No. 3 and No. 4, rice fields were flooded and needed to be harvested urgently. The flooded area is approximately 40 hectares. In addition, some fields were sown before the scheduled planting season, the rice ripened earlier, and the flooding has caused the rice to sprout.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the District Agricultural Services Center are advising farmers to prioritize harvesting affected rice fields to minimize losses in yield and quality. They are also warning of the possibility of heavy rains returning in the coming days.