Synchronize solutions to improve crop quality

In 2025, crop production in the Mekong Delta region will face many challenges. However, the rice industry will continue to affirm its pivotal role with a slight increase in area, yield and output. The variety structure has shifted strongly to fragrant, specialty and high-quality rice, meeting export demand well. In addition, key fruit trees will maintain growth momentum. Thereby, contributing to ensuring supply for consumption and export.

In 2025, crop production in the Mekong Delta region will face many challenges. However, the rice industry will continue to affirm its pivotal role with a slight increase in area, yield and output. The variety structure has shifted strongly to fragrant, specialty and high-quality rice, meeting export demand well. In addition, key fruit trees will maintain growth momentum. Thereby, contributing to ensuring supply for consumption and export.

The rice industry continues to affirm its role as a "pillar" with a slight increase in area, productivity and output.

Effective restructuring

According to the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, in recent times, in the Mekong Delta, the application of information technology in propaganda, training, and guidance for farmers to change farming practices and comply with technical recommendations... has gradually reduced input materials such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and minimized damage caused by pests, floods, droughts, and saltwater intrusion.

The work of converting crop structure, shifting seasons, as well as predicting and forecasting pests and monitoring changes in water quality for irrigation is maintained regularly and promptly. In addition, domestic and foreign consumption trends increasingly favor green and organic agricultural products, combined with production conversion projects and sustainable farming models associated with value chain linkages, opening up new opportunities for regional agricultural products.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Manh - Deputy Director of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection said that the Mekong Delta and the Southeast are important areas for the production of rice, fruit trees and some key industrial crops in Vietnam. In the first months of the year and the whole year of 2025, crop production has basically completed the set plan.

The variety structure continues to shift towards high quality and specialty fragrant rice. Short-term crop production has achieved many positive signals, meeting well the domestic consumption and export demand. The conversion of crop structure on rice land continues to be promoted with about 38,700 hectares, mainly to annual crops, perennial crops and rice-aquaculture models.

Mr. Le Ha Luan - Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dong Thap said: After the merger of the boundaries, the province has more favorable conditions in organizing large-scale production, forming specialized areas associated with processing and consumption, especially fruit trees. The province currently has over 134,000 hectares, with an output of 2.5 million tons, accounting for 34.29% of the Mekong Delta region. Up to now, the province has 3,415 codes (1,467 growing areas) with an area of ​​nearly 98,400 hectares, serving exports to many markets such as the United States, Australia, New Zealand, EU, Japan...

In the province, Mr. Nguyen Van Dung - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment said: The work of planning, planning, and zoning production, especially for key areas, was built promptly, creating favorable conditions for converting production in each region and locality. The plan to convert crop structure contributes to increasing the production value of the whole industry. At the same time, models of applying scientific and technical advances and converting production have achieved results that have attracted the attention of people, gradually promoting the advantages and potential for agricultural development in the context of adapting to climate change.

Many solutions need to be implemented synchronously.

Production results in 2025 will not only ensure national food security and maintain rice export sources, but also contribute to stabilizing farmers' lives in the context of natural disasters and market fluctuations.

However, crop production in the Mekong Delta is strongly affected by climate change and extreme weather: the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring crop will still experience drought and saltwater intrusion, but at a small level and scale; the 2025 Summer-Autumn and Autumn-Winter crops will be affected by heavy rain, storms, and strong winds causing localized flooding, making it difficult to care for and harvest, and affecting crop yield and quality.

Input material prices (fertilizers, pesticides, seeds) are high due to fluctuations in the global supply chain, increasing production costs and reducing farmers' profits. The agricultural product consumption market is under pressure from international competition, many new strict trade regulations, requiring traceability; leading to difficulty in meeting markets, unstable selling prices, affecting product output, untimely updating of production and pest data, affecting forecasting and production direction...

According to the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, in the coming time, the southern provinces need to stabilize the rice area, increase the rate of using high-quality rice varieties and specialty rice. Localities should change the crop structure, prioritizing fruit trees, increase deep processing of fruit products, check the quality of seeds and agricultural materials, and control the codes of growing areas and packaging facilities. At the same time, proactively produce vegetables to serve consumption during holidays and Tet.

Faced with the challenges forecasted in the coming time, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment - Hoang Trung requested units under the ministry to regularly monitor water quality, forecast drought, saltwater intrusion and provide timely recommendations; provide guidance on crop seasons, seed structure, and production measures to adapt to climate change; and check and monitor the quality of seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides.

At the same time, units under the ministry support localities to expand rice acreage in the 1 million hectare high-quality and low-emission rice project. Promote negotiations, expand agricultural markets, and remove trade barriers. Review and adjust the 2025-2026 Winter-Spring crop plan, sow early and concentrate according to recommendations, avoid brown planthoppers and drought and salinity. Enterprises and industry associations accompany farmers in supplying input materials, linking production and product consumption. Actively invest in concentrated production areas, building sustainable value chains.

• Up to now, the rice area in the Mekong Delta and the Southeast region is estimated at 4.1 million hectares, with an output of 26.12 million tons and a yield of 63.43 quintals/ha (compared to 2024, the area increased by 2,740 hectares, the output increased by 183,000 tons, and the yield increased by 0.4 quintals/ha).

• In particular, the 2024-2025 Winter-Spring crop recorded an increase in both area and yield, contributing to offsetting the slight decline in the remaining crops.

  For fruit trees, in 2025, the output of main fruit trees in the Mekong Delta and Southeast regions is estimated to reach 7.3 million tons.

• Of which, durian output is estimated at 915,000 tons, mango 799,000 tons... The cropping models continue to be expanded, helping to balance supply and demand. Durian has more than 15,000 hectares of cropping, accounting for 64.5% of the harvested area, with an output of nearly 365,000 tons.

Article and photos: THAO LY

Source: https://baovinhlong.com.vn/kinh-te/nong-nghiep/202509/dong-bo-giai-phap-nang-cao-chat-luong-trong-trot-ce80390/