Taking advantage of rainwater, people in the highlands of Nghe An province prepare the land for planting the summer rice crop.

These days, in Chau Tien commune, Quy Chau district, people are actively preparing the land for planting the summer rice crop. Ms. Sam Thi Lan from Hoa Tien 1 village shared: "Since the beginning of June, it has rained frequently in the highlands, so all the fields are full of water. Currently, my family has finished preparing the land and has started planting 1/3 of the rice field. We expect to finish planting the summer rice crop in the next 4 days."

Mr. Sam Thanh Hoai, Chairman of the Chau Tien Commune People's Committee, said: "This year's crop season is very favorable, with plenty of rain, so the fields, rivers, and streams all have plenty of water. Taking advantage of the favorable weather, the commune mobilized over 150 plows. Currently, the entire commune has completed land preparation on 252 hectares, sown over 110 hectares of rice, and transplanted about 10 hectares. We expect to complete the crop production within the next 10 days."

To ensure a reliable water supply, the commune promptly directed villagers to maintain and repair 165 water wheels installed on the Hat River and streams to irrigate rice fields. In addition, in key rice-growing communes such as Chau Binh and Chau Hanh, farmers have started transplanting seedlings and are taking advantage of the time to prepare the land for rice cultivation.

According to a representative from the Quy Chau District Department of Agriculture: This cropping season, the entire Quy Chau district has planted approximately 1,850 hectares of rice. Since the beginning of the season, the weather has been very favorable for farmers' production.

To date, farmers throughout the district have completed the rice seedling planting, and the seedlings are growing well. Land preparation is over 90% complete. Currently, some areas have begun sowing and transplanting. This year, the district has included short-day pure rice varieties in its crop structure to increase economic value per unit area.

The communes are promoting and encouraging farmers to focus on caring for their rice crops after planting, balancing the application of fertilizers to ensure good growth, and effectively conducting surveys, detection, and forecasting of rice pests and diseases. They are also repairing damaged irrigation works and dredging canals to ensure smooth water flow.

The entire district has 14 large and small reservoirs and 82 diversion dams and headworks. Currently, water levels in these reservoirs and dams are above 65% of their capacity. To ensure irrigation water supply, the Quy Chau Irrigation Enterprise has planned to deploy mobile diesel pumps in streams in communes with limited water resources to provide supplemental pumping.

Similarly, in Que Phong district, after the rain, the fields there are all flooded.

Mr. Vi Van Thanh from Tien Phong commune said: "Every year the fields are dry, but this year there has been a lot of rain, so the fields are full of water, making land preparation very quick. My family has finished preparing 2 sao (approximately 0.2 hectares) of land, and we are currently working as hired laborers for other households."

In the fields of Tien Phong commune, farmers sow rice seedlings right in the paddy. The seedlings are carefully tended to, protected, and covered to prevent damage from rats.

Mr. Vo Khanh Toan, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Tien Phong commune, said: This year, the entire commune planted 252 hectares of rice. Due to favorable rainwater resources, 80% of the land has been prepared, and seedlings are now being sown. The water levels in the three reservoirs, including Chom Bay, Long Quang, and Phai Hua, are all above 70%, sufficient to irrigate over 150 hectares of rice. For the remaining area, if there is hot and dry weather, the Que Phong Irrigation Enterprise, in coordination with the people, will set up mobile diesel pumps and mini pumps along the river to irrigate the rice.

According to a report from the Que Phong District Department of Agriculture, this year's crop season sees over 2,500 hectares of rice planted throughout the district. Currently, farmers are focusing on land preparation, with over 50% of the work completed. It is expected that rice planting will be carried out simultaneously by June 20th, concluding the crop season on July 20th.

Right from the start of the season, Que Phong district allocated over 400 million VND for the maintenance and repair of irrigation canals in Chau Kim and Tien Phong communes, among others, to prevent water loss and ensure water supply for rice cultivation.

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This year's crop season saw over 29,000 hectares planted throughout the province, mainly concentrated in mountainous districts such as Quy Chau, Que Phong, Con Cuong, and Tuong Duong… This is different from last year's crop season, when Nghe An had about 2,000 hectares that could not be planted.
This year, the mountainous districts have received abundant rainfall, so most areas have been prepared for planting. According to the planting schedule, the main rice planting season runs from June 15th to July 20th, but some localities have already completed land preparation and begun planting. The agricultural sector continues to direct districts to review areas with water shortages for the main rice crop and consider converting them to other crops.

Mr. Nguyen Tien Duc - Head of the Crop Production and Plant Protection Sub-Department