Nearly 50 hectares of winter-spring rice crops in Trieu Van commune died due to salinity intrusion.

Due to heavy rains at the beginning of the season causing a significant rise in sea level, many areas of winter-spring rice in Trieu Van commune, Trieu Phong district, have been affected by salinity, with dozens of hectares suffering from root rot and gradual death.

Residents of Trieu Van commune are worried as their winter-spring rice crop is gradually dying due to salinity - Photo: Dao Thien

During the 2023-2024 winter-spring season, Mr. Ho The Thieu's family in Hamlet 9, Trieu Van commune, planted 5 sao (approximately 0.5 hectares) of rice. The rice plants were developing well, but in late February, rain and northeast winds caused seawater to rise into the fields, resulting in saltwater intrusion that caused root rot and gradual death of nearly 4 out of 5 sao of rice plants.

Mr. Thieu shared: "I'm old now and can't go to sea anymore, so I only hope for income from my 5 acres of winter-spring rice. Now that the saltwater intrusion has killed the rice plants, I've suffered losses and it's very difficult."

Every year, in addition to vegetable crops, Trieu Van commune cultivates nearly 150 hectares of rice in the winter-spring season, using high-quality rice varieties such as HT1, HN6, Khang Dan, etc. Thanks to appropriate production methods, even though the fields are sandy white, the rice plants still grow well, with yields reaching over 50 quintals/hectare.

However, in the last two years, rice crops have often been affected by salinity and died in large numbers. Specifically, during the 2023-2024 winter-spring season, heavy rains at the beginning of the season caused sea levels to rise, resulting in severe salinity damage to rice crops in Trieu Van commune. The Trieu Van Commune People's Committee reported that nearly 100 hectares of rice in the commune are currently affected by salinity, with nearly 50 hectares suffering from root rot and gradual death. Farmers are continuing to replant the remaining rice, but the survival rate is not high.

Mr. Hoang Van Do, an agricultural extension officer in Trieu Van commune, said: “Given the situation of many rice crops dying due to salinity, the commune People's Committee has encouraged people to switch the affected rice fields to planting sweet potatoes and other crops. We also hope that higher authorities will provide solutions to support the commune in building a dike system to prevent saltwater intrusion and retain freshwater in hamlets 7, 8, and 9 so that people can proactively manage production and gradually increase the value of crops grown on sandy soil.”

The aspirations of the authorities and people of Trieu Van commune are legitimate, because Trieu Van is a commune with many canals flowing into the sea, making it very susceptible to saltwater intrusion during high tides.

Goodness

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/thoi-su/gan-50-ha-lua-vu-dong-xuan-o-xa-trieu-van-chet-do-nhiem-man/184043.htm