Urgently harvest the winter-spring rice crop.

This year's winter-spring crop saw nearly 26,000 hectares of rice planted throughout the province. Thanks to warmer weather than in previous years, the rice plants developed favorably and the growing season was shortened by 5-7 days. At this time, farmers in the province are busy harvesting their rice crops, rejoicing in a bountiful harvest and good prices.

Mobilizing machinery to speed up the harvesting of the winter-spring rice crop in Hai Lang - Photo: LA

These days, the atmosphere of rice harvesting in Hai Lang district is bustling. In the fields, combine harvesters operate day and night, while at the rice drying areas, people are busy bringing out their rice to dry and weigh it for sale to traders.

While receiving sacks of rice from the combine harvester onto a truck, Mr. Nguyen Van Hoa from Kim Long Cooperative, Hai Que commune, said that this year's winter-spring crop saw his family planting 3 acres of rice, mainly the Khang Dan variety. Thanks to favorable weather and few pests and diseases, the harvest yield was quite high, reaching nearly 5 quintals of fresh rice per acre.

According to Mr. Hoa, recognizing the importance of efficient rice harvesting for the entire crop, he contracted two combine harvesters to harvest his family's entire rice field. Another positive point is that the current rice purchase price from traders is high; after harvesting, the rice only needs to be dried for about half a day before traders come to buy it at a price of 8,200 VND/kg. After deducting expenses, he earned a profit of over 50 million VND.

The joy of a bountiful rice harvest also came to Mr. Nguyen Minh's family in the Kim Long Cooperative, with their 2.5 hectares of land. Mr. Minh said that, in addition to primarily using the Khang Dan rice variety, his family also sowed about 5 sao (approximately 0.5 hectares) of Thai purple rice. The yield reached 3.5 - 4 quintals/sao for the Khang Dan variety and about 3 quintals/sao for the Thai purple variety.

According to Mr. Minh, not only was the harvest bountiful this winter-spring season, but farmers were also happier because traders were buying rice at high prices, around 8,200 - 8,300 VND/kg for dry rice of the Khang Dan variety. In particular, his Thai purple rice variety was bought at 13,000 VND/kg, resulting in relatively high profits.

According to Nguyen Huu Phuoc, Director of Kim Long Cooperative, the entire 162 hectares of rice fields belonging to the cooperative are currently in the harvesting stage, with an average yield of 70 quintals/hectare. Some well-cared-for areas even yield up to 75 quintals/hectare.

Encouragingly, rice purchase prices are currently high. Rice dried for about one day is being bought by traders at 8,200 - 8,400 VND/kg. For organic rice, businesses are purchasing it at 13,000 VND/kg of fresh rice as per their agreement. "With current rice prices, farmers are estimated to make a profit of about 50%," Mr. Phuoc affirmed.

In the fields of Hai Duong commune, farmers are currently busy harvesting rice. Thanks to adhering strictly to the planting schedule, the rice crops here are entering the mass harvesting period.

According to Vo Trung Hieu, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hai Duong commune, there has never been a rice harvest as bountiful as this one, with an average yield of over 72.5 quintals/hectare, and the highest yield reaching nearly 75 quintals/hectare by Kim Giao Cooperative. The purchase price of rice by traders at the beginning of the season is also quite high, reaching over 7,000 VND/kg of fresh rice.

To facilitate rice harvesting for farmers, the People's Committee of the commune has directed cooperatives to proactively review and assess the situation of combine harvesters and establish close contracts with machine owners, dividing areas appropriately to regulate harvesting to ensure quick and efficient harvesting, striving to basically complete the harvest by April 30th.

At the same time, they proactively secure sources of seeds and fertilizers; and inspect pumping stations to ensure water is available for land preparation. “The entire commune currently has about 240 various types of tillage machines. The local motto is to harvest and then immediately irrigate the land and sow seeds to quickly implement summer-autumn crop production according to the seasonal schedule,” Mr. Hieu said.

This year, Hai Lang district planted nearly 6,900 hectares of rice during the winter-spring season. Field assessments indicate an average yield of 66-68 quintals/hectare. According to Mr. Van Ngoc Tien Duc, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Hai Lang district, this year's winter-spring crop was bountiful thanks to favorable weather conditions and effective guidance on the planting schedule. From the beginning of the season, Hai Lang district directed specialized agencies to develop appropriate production plans and assigned professional staff to effectively predict and control pests and diseases. Early detection and timely control of outbreaks minimized damage. Furthermore, farmers have made changes in their farming practices, focusing on balanced fertilization and providing sufficient macro and micronutrients, resulting in sustainable rice growth, good resilience, and high yields.

According to Mr. Duc, Hai Lang district is currently directing localities and agricultural cooperatives to mobilize human and material resources, and guide farmers to quickly and efficiently harvest the winter-spring rice crop. At the same time, they are proactively securing seed sources, human and material resources, and developing plans for the summer-autumn crop. They are also strengthening land consolidation and expanding the area of organic rice production, with a focus on expanding the area of organic rice production linked to consumption agreements with businesses.

According to Bui Phuoc Trang, head of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, the province has harvested approximately 5,000 hectares of rice so far, with an estimated average yield of 61-62 quintals/hectare.

Rice prices are also high, averaging 7,200 - 7,500 VND/kg for fresh rice of the Khang Dan variety and 7,700 - 8,000 VND/kg for other high-quality varieties. From now on, the harvesting process will be accelerated, with the peak period from April 25th to May 5th, aiming to basically complete the harvest before May 10th.

According to Mr. Trang, given the forecast of frequent thunderstorms and strong winds in the coming period, which could cause rice crops to be flattened, local authorities need to strengthen guidance to farmers, mobilizing manpower and resources to quickly harvest ripe rice crops to avoid damage from natural disasters. At the same time, they should proactively secure seeds, fertilizers, and water for land preparation to begin the summer-autumn crop production.

Le An

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