Yen Thanh focuses on planting the summer-autumn crop.
(Baonghean.vn) - This summer-autumn season, Yen Thanh district plans to plant 12,800 hectares of rice and 200 hectares of the main rice crop. With the goal of harvesting the summer-autumn rice crop before September in flood-prone areas, after the busy days of harvesting the spring rice crop, farmers in Yen Thanh are now focusing on planting the summer-autumn crop.
In late May, in the fields of low-lying communes such as Vinh Thanh, Khanh Thanh, Long Thanh, Lien Thanh, Cong Thanh, Bac Thanh, etc., farmers were busy sowing and planting the summer-autumn crop after harvesting the spring rice. According to our observations, most of the area was sown with seedlings for transplanting, while some areas in Lien Thanh, Cong Thanh, etc., were sown directly.
A farmer named Minh in Khanh Thanh commune happily said: "Last spring, my family planted 2 sao (approximately 0.2 hectares) of BC15 rice, but because we planted a few days earlier, the yield wasn't affected, still reaching over 3 quintals per sao. After harvesting the spring rice, my family immediately hired a machine to prepare the land, so when the seedlings were only about 10 days old, we were able to transplant them. This summer-autumn season, my family is growing two rice varieties: NA1 and PAC807 hybrid rice. In this area, which is frequently flooded, we farmers plant as early as possible. Because in some years, the rice in the fields is ripe, but we haven't had time to harvest it, thinking we're sure to have a good harvest, when suddenly there's heavy rain lasting two days and we lose everything."
Mr. Phan Dinh Hai, Chairman of the People's Committee of Khanh Thanh commune, said: This summer-autumn crop season, the locality planted 328 hectares, including 50 hectares of hybrid rice and 278 hectares of purebred rice. Due to the local characteristics, 100% of the summer-autumn rice production area is located in a flood-prone zone, so the local authorities have directed farmers to take advantage of the time to complete the planting of the summer-autumn crop as early as possible. As of May 27th, the entire commune has planted over 70% of the area. A characteristic of the summer-autumn crop is that rice plants grow quickly, so farmers will invest in fertilizer and care for the rice 15 days after planting. With this rapid production progress, the locality will certainly harvest this summer-autumn crop by the end of August.
Farmers in Khanh Thanh commune are planting the summer-autumn crop.
For farmers, May is the busiest and most arduous month of the year. They have to harvest the spring crop, prepare the land, and sow the summer-autumn crop simultaneously, all within a month. The most difficult part is in flood-prone areas, where they have to contend with the weather every day. Nowadays, farmers mostly use machinery, so the process is much faster. A rice field spanning tens of hectares can be harvested and tilled in less than a week. Therefore, with the emergence of many short-duration rice varieties, the summer-autumn crop can be harvested earlier, and winter crops are more readily available.
Following the directives of the Yen Thanh District People's Committee, this summer-autumn crop season, the district has arranged rice varieties suitable for different land types. For flood-prone areas, the district has allocated short-day rice varieties with a growth period of less than 100 days, such as: PAC807 hybrid rice, Thien Nguyen Uu 16; P6 mutant pure rice (80 days), QR1, Vat Tu NA1… For flood-prone areas, the allocated varieties are those with a growth period of 105-110 days: BIO 404 hybrid rice, LC 25, Kim Uu 725, Nhi Uu 838… Khang Dan 18, Huong Thom No. 1, and various glutinous rice varieties. In the high-lying, semi-mountainous areas, the rice varieties grown are long-growing: Nhi Uu 986, Nhi Uu 725, BC15, N97, and Bac Thom No. 7. As of September 27th, 60-70% of the flooded fields in the communes have been planted. Thus, for short-growing rice varieties planted in the flooded areas, there is a basis for harvesting before September 2nd.
The top priority for the summer-autumn crop season, which Yen Thanh district has identified from the outset, is the regulation of irrigation water and the forecasting and prediction of rice pests and diseases. Therefore, the Irrigation Enterprise is reviewing water resources in reservoirs, dams, rivers, and streams throughout the district. Based on this, they are coordinating with local authorities to propose a rational crop structure for each region; developing drought prevention plans, establishing irrigation schedules, and repairing key canals to conserve water. For the Plant Protection Station, from the beginning of the season, technical staff are assigned to oversee specific clusters and areas, coordinating with communes and towns to regularly inspect, predict, and accurately forecast pest and disease situations for timely intervention.
Text and photos: Xuan Hoang
