Provide enough crop varieties to restore production after storms

Rice fields in Cuong 2 village were severely damaged by floods and rains, with the possibility of crop failure. (Photo: Hoang Hieu/VNA)

Crop production is estimated to have suffered losses of over VND4,000 billion due to storm No.3 and floods in the northern provinces. This is also a sector with a fairly high growth rate, contributing to a large agricultural export turnover.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Hoang Trung shared about the orientations in restoring production, ensuring the supply of seedlings to ensure production, meeting timely food supply, especially during Tet.

- How does the Deputy Minister assess the damage caused by storm No. 3 and recent floods in the crop sector and what solutions does the industry have to restore production after the water recedes?

Deputy Minister Hoang Trung: Storm No. 3 and floods have damaged 312,000 hectares of crops. Of these, 200,000 hectares of rice were affected; 51,000 hectares of vegetables, 36,000 hectares of corn alone; 61,000 hectares of fruit trees, industrial crops... The recent storm and flood have caused damage to the crop sector of over 4,000 billion VND.

Following the Prime Minister's direction, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development quickly organized a meeting to direct the immediate recovery of production after the storm and flood in the fields of livestock, aquaculture, cultivation, and forestry with technical instructions to restore as soon as possible the areas that can be saved. Along with that, urgent measures to prevent flooding were taken.

In order to have resources to restore production soon, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also calls for the cooperation of enterprises and associations. Enterprises are also very responsible, joining hands to share the loss of people. The Ministry will work with the business community with the highest capacity, the fastest and most timely spirit to support people to quickly stabilize their lives and restore production.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will hold production recovery conferences to ensure the crop season and crop structure, thereby ensuring food supply at the end of the year and in the following years.

Soldiers help people in My Duc district ( Hanoi ) harvest rice in preparation for the winter crop. (Photo: VNA)

Regarding policy mechanisms, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is advising the Government and the Prime Minister to soon issue a decree amending Decree No. 02/2017/ND-CP of the Government on mechanisms and policies to support agricultural production to restore production in areas damaged by natural disasters and epidemics. The issuance of the amended decree will significantly contribute to helping localities and people have resources to regenerate and develop production.

- Many large commodity production areas, especially those serving Tet demand, have been damaged. What solutions will the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development have to ensure food supply for people's needs in the coming time?

Deputy Minister Hoang Trung: Many large vegetable production areas have been damaged; fruit trees and ornamental plants have also been affected and damaged. In the immediate future, fruit orchards, ornamental plants, and vegetable growing areas should immediately apply the measures that the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has instructed and can save them and then recover.

Regarding food supply, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development is making great efforts to immediately deploy response solutions from livestock, aquaculture as well as vegetables, fruit trees, etc. to ensure supply for the end of the year.

Next week, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will hold a conference on winter crop production in the northern provinces. This is an annual crop, with a production area of ​​about 400,000 hectares. If winter crop production is good, it will meet the food demand for domestic consumption, especially for the Lunar New Year.

In addition, other sectors such as livestock and aquaculture are also receiving timely instructions from the leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development with solutions for early recovery. Thereby, people continue to do business, produce stably and supply the market with many products from livestock, aquaculture to cultivation.

- Thus, this year's winter crop production will certainly have to be put in a completely different context than every year. So how does the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development plan to implement this winter crop?

Deputy Minister Hoang Trung: Every year, the winter crop area fluctuates between 350,000 and 400,000 hectares. This year, the agricultural sector will coordinate with localities to maximize the winter crop area. Any areas that have been completely damaged and cannot recover will be pushed to grow the winter crop early. Thus, the winter crop area will increase.

Localities will have to restructure and use short-term crop varieties to rotate many production cycles before entering the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring rice crop. Localities will also proactively ask for seeds from national reserves as well as businesses that provide the most timely supply.

Many rice fields were damaged by floods. (Photo: Minh Tam/VNA)

With the motto that everything must still be based on local resources, localities must also proactively coordinate with units of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and with enterprises to ensure the supply of all types of seeds and agricultural materials to serve the winter crop production as soon as possible, ensuring area and productivity.

- According to the report of the Department of Crop Production, the demand for rice seeds in the damaged provinces is about 15,000 tons for the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring crop. However, the national reserve has only more than 4,000 tons. What challenges does this pose in the upcoming Winter-Spring crop, Deputy Minister?

Deputy Minister Hoang Trung: Currently, the national reserve has about 5,800 tons of rice, of which the structure of rice varieties to serve the northern provinces is more than 4,000 tons. Compared to the demand for rice varieties in the damaged provinces of about 15,000 tons, there is still a shortage of more than 10,000 tons.

With the cooperation of current businesses and other available resources, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will coordinate with localities, combine support policies, and can completely supply enough seeds for people to serve the upcoming production season.

This is the amount of seeds to serve the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring crop, so there is still time to mobilize, ensure supply and support farmers in areas affected by natural disasters and floods with enough seeds for production.

- Thank you for sharing, Deputy Minister!

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/dap-ung-du-giong-cay-trong-de-khoi-phuc-san-xuat-sau-bao.html