SGGP
The beginning of the dry season is the time when farmers release shrimp seed to start a new farming season, but due to lack of salt water, many localities in the Mekong Delta have released seed more than a month later than the season.
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| Farmers in Vinh Thuan district (Kien Giang) check water quality in shrimp ponds. Photo: QUOC BINH |
After the historic drought in 2016, Kien Giang province converted about 110.000 hectares of rice cultivation to shrimp-rice rotation to adapt, focusing on the U Minh Thuong area (including An Bien, An Minh, Vinh districts). Thuan, U Minh Thuong) and part of Go Quao district.
According to the production practice of farmers in U Minh Thuong area, after harvesting rice on shrimp soil, after the Lunar New Year, farmers started to renovate square ponds and release shrimp seed, but due to unseasonal rains and salinity in the area. In-field channels are only 1-2‰, so stocking is late to the seasonal schedule.
In Bac Lieu and Soc Trang provinces, farmers also release shrimp seed late, currently only about 30%-50% of shrimp farming area is stocked with seed, most farmers have to treat water again after pumping it into the pond. .
Ms. Quach Thi Thanh Binh, Head of Soc Trang Province's Fisheries Sub-Department, said: "Up to now, the province has only reached about 50% of the area of shrimp stocked over the same period (mainly white shrimp). ). The main reason is that the shrimp crop at the end of 2022 appeared many diseases, people only released it in moderation to cut off residual pathogens from the previous crop. In addition, part of the reason is due to unusual weather events that make people cautious."
Currently, farmers are impatient to release shrimp seed, but they are still concerned that the salinity is still not satisfactory. Not only is the salinity low, compared to the same period in 2022, this year saltwater intrusion into the field is also 15-20 days later. Currently, the salinity measured at Cai Lon estuary is approximately 3‰, up 1‰ compared to 10 days ago, 7,1‰ lower than the same period; In the infield canals, salinity was measured at 1-2‰.
Farmer Nguyen Van Ngoi (Hoa Chanh commune, U Minh Thuong district, Kien Giang province) said that if he wanted to release shrimp seed, he had to wait for the salt water to rise about 5-7 minutes to pump into the pond, but he had not seen salt water or water until he waited. Under the canal, the salinity is only 1-2‰, so many households in the commune risk pumping water in and treating it, then wait for the high water, higher salinity will continue to pump more.
“The time to release shrimp seed is based on the annual hydrological weather, and the consumption contract signed with traders and businesses. If I release shrimp seed late, it will lead to late contract. If it is light, it will lose its reputation, if it is heavy, it will have to be compensated", Mr. Ngoi worried.
Meanwhile, in the areas near the sea mouth, farmers apply the improved extensive farming model, raising 3-4 shrimp crops a year, so the demand for salt water is more urgent. With this model, the pond after harvesting will have to dry in the sun and then wait for the water in the river or canal to be salty enough to pump it into the pond. According to many farmers, white shrimp needs high salinity, so to be effective, to limit loss, to wait for the water to have enough salinity before stocking.
According to the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology of Kien Giang province, the reason for the late arrival of saltwater in 2023, low salinity is due to an increase in upstream flows flowing into the Mekong Delta through Tan Chau and Chau Doc stations (higher than the same period last year). 2 is 2022%, 27% higher than the multi-year average). On the other hand, the relatively heavy unseasonal rain in the areas of Go Quao and Giong Rieng districts causes a sharp decrease in salinity in Cai Lon and Cai Be rivers. Until the first half of February 7, salinity was still low, salinity had not penetrated deep into the field.
According to the Southern Regional Hydrometeorological Station, in March, there will be sudden spikes in salinity due to the influence of sea level rise, reducing discharge of upstream hydropower. Salinity will begin to penetrate deep into the field during this time, farmers can take advantage of the high tide to bring water into the pond. Therefore, localities need to regularly monitor the situation of salinity forecast, promptly notify the people to be proactive in production.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Kien Giang province has proposed the management unit of the Cai Be - Cai Lon irrigation system (Kien Giang province) to operate in accordance with the shrimp-rice model of the U Minh Thuong region. For the system of 17 sluices along An Bien and An Minh sea dykes, the People's Committee of Kien Giang province has directed departments and branches to coordinate with the Investment Project Management Board to build agricultural and rural development projects in the province to urgently The plan is to invest in the power grid system to serve the operation of sluices and to serve the people's shrimp-rice production.
