Racing against floods, Nghe An farmers harvest early, salvage crops

Farmers clear the flow and drain water to save rice. Photo: TP

Learning from the floods of 2018 and 2022, when water from upstream rushed in and washed away many crops, this time, people in many places proactively “went one step ahead”. Even though the vegetables were still young and the mud was still deep… people were determined to harvest early, to make the most of every penny.

Despite the rain, people still went to the fields to harvest fallen onions. Photo: T.P. — Despite the light rain, people still took the opportunity to go to the fields to harvest fallen onions. Photo: TP

In Quynh Anh commune, old Quynh Luu district, heavy rain combined with water caused many vegetable fields to be flooded. After more than a day of being soaked in water, onions and mustard greens began to rot. Many farmers rushed to the fields to salvage each vegetable and onion stalk.

Mr. Nguyen Hong, a long-time onion grower in Quynh Anh commune, said: “It was time to harvest the onions when there was heavy rain. The whole field was damaged, the roots were flooded, and everything fell down. We mobilized our family members to pull them out early to sell them in time. Damaged onions could only be sold for 5,000 VND/kg, half the price before the storm, but we had to accept it, otherwise if we left them for a few more days, we would have wasted them all.”

The purchase price of fallen onions is only half that of before the flooding. Photo: T.P. — The onions fell down, the purchase price was only half compared to before the flooding. Photo: TP

Don't wait until the flood to worry, in the key vegetable area in Tan Mai ward (old Hoang Mai town), the harvest atmosphere is also very urgent. The rain has not caused flooding in the fields here, but according to the experience of the people, when the hydroelectric dam releases flood water combined with the circulation after the storm, the situation will be complicated, possibly causing severe flooding. Therefore, people proactively harvest early to avoid being passive like previous years.

Ms. Ho Thi Minh, a vegetable grower in Tan Mai, recalls: “In 2018, after the flood, the whole field was submerged. The soil was eroded, the vegetables were uprooted, and after the water receded, they wilted beyond saving. This year, there was an early warning, so even though the vegetables were still young, they were harvested. Traders bought less, the price was low, but it was better than losing everything.”

Many greenhouses had their roofs blown off, and the melons in the greenhouses were flooded. Photo: T.P. — Many greenhouses had their roofs blown off, and the melons in the greenhouses were flooded. Photo: TP

In Hung Nguyen commune (formerly Hung Nguyen district), many summer-autumn rice fields are also flooded. Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong, who cultivates 3 sao of rice, shared: “The rain has stopped but the river water is rising, the water in the fields cannot drain. If the rain and floods continue, the rice will rot. We are mobilizing people to drain the water and open more channels to save the fields. If we don't hurry, it will be too late.”

The greenhouse area in Van An commune, Nam Dan district, was also severely affected. Despite being reinforced and secured against the storm, strong winds still blew off the roofs of many greenhouses, causing water to flood the melons - a crop that is very sensitive to humidity.

Ms. Thao Khanh, a melon grower in Van An commune, said: “My 200m2 greenhouse roof was blown off. The melons are almost ready for harvest but are now flooded. If left in the water for too long, the fruit will rot and fall prematurely, and there is no way to save it. This crop is considered a total loss.”

"Better at home than in the fields", people in Tan Mai commune proactively harvest vegetables even though they are not yet ripe. Photo: TP

Not only in the plains, in Cat Ngan commune (formerly Thanh Chuong district), which is considered the capital of black star apple in Nghe An, the storm caused significant damage. Star apple trees over 10m high were broken by the wind, uprooted, and young fruit fell all over the ground.

Mr. Le Dinh Anh, a long-time canarium grower, lamented: “Last year this tree yielded 8 million VND, this year there were even more fruits, but before we could pick them, the wind blew them all down. Now the only way is to pick the green fruits to sell, for 10,000 - 12,000 VND/kg, less than one-tenth of the price of ripe fruits.”

Canarium trees fall and fruits fall, people collect green canarium trees to recover capital and care costs. Photo: T.P — Canarium trees fall and fruits fall, people collect green canarium trees to recover capital and care costs. Photo: TP

Currently, many households in Cat Ngan are taking advantage of the opportunity to collect green fruit to sell to traders, even though they know it is not worth much. What is more worrying is that many large trees have broken in half, risking losing their source of income for the following years.

In the hustle and bustle of the storm and flood season, the image of farmers soaking in the fields, picking up and salvaging each row of young vegetables, picking up each fallen plum, draining water from the rice fields... is proof of the spirit of proactiveness, urgency, and resourcefulness in responding to natural disasters.

Proactively harvest vegetables before the flood comes. Photo: T.P — Proactively harvest vegetables before flood water arrives. Photo: TP

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*) Agricultural damage caused by storms and rains (as of 7:00 p.m. on July 22)
According to data from the Standing Office of the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention, Search and Rescue and Civil Defense of Nghe An province:
- Damaged rice: 174.4 ha
- Damaged rice seedlings: 286 ha
- Annual crops: 111.4 ha
- Fruit trees: 17.3 ha
- Perennial crops: 3 ha
On the evening of July 22, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued an urgent notice on flood discharge at Ban Ve Hydropower Plant - the largest project in the North Central region. With the water flow into the reservoir reaching 9,543m³/s, nearly equal to the flood test level of 10,500m³/s, the province has requested downstream localities to mobilize maximum forces and means to respond and evacuate people if necessary. This means that the downstream area of Ca River, where most of the agricultural production area is concentrated, faces the risk of deep flooding and great damage if not promptly responded.