Rice farmers are struggling as canals dry up.

In Ca Mau province, farmers in Tran Van Thoi district are in the peak of the rice harvest season, but the rivers and canals are running dry, causing a decrease in yield and agricultural product prices due to transportation difficulties.

This year's winter-spring crop saw farmers throughout the district plant approximately 29,000 hectares of rice, with about 50% already harvested. Since the beginning of the year, more than 80 canals and ditches in the district's 9 communes and towns have dried up.

Mr. Pham Van Hien's family, 61 years old, residing in Hamlet 2, Khanh Binh Tay Bac Commune, recently harvested over 2 hectares of ST24 rice, yielding 23 tons, which they sold for 8,700 VND per kilogram. This price is down more than 2,000 VND compared to before Tet (Lunar New Year) and nearly 1,000 VND compared to last week. This season, his family only earned a profit of about 40 million VND, a decrease of approximately 20 million VND due to transportation difficulties.

The water in the canals has dried up almost to the bottom, making it difficult for farmers to transport their agricultural products. Photo: An Minh

The main reason is that canals and waterways are drying up, preventing traders' boats from reaching the rice-growing areas, so the rice is transported to the main roads by motorbike. The cost per ton of rice increases by several hundred thousand to one million dong, forcing farmers to lower the purchase price.

According to Mr. Hien, during the record drought and salinity seasons of 2015-2016 and 2019-2020, the irrigation system in rural areas also dried up. This year, the drought arrived earlier, causing the canals to dry up more quickly. The drought not only makes transporting agricultural products difficult but also reduces rice yields and leads to rampant pest and disease outbreaks.

Every year, around the 10th lunar month, farmers in the freshwater areas of Tran Van Thoi district begin sowing and harvesting rice in January to avoid drought. However, this year, the rainy season ended early, so by mid-December, the canals had already started to dry up. At this time, the rice was over 40 days old, and the water in the fields was insufficient, affecting the yield. The early drying up and soil acidity also resulted in less firm rice grains, reducing the harvest yield by 100-200 kg per công (approximately 1,300 m2).

Traders arranged for motorbikes to transport Mr. Hien's family's freshly harvested rice to the collection point. Photo: An Minh

Not far from Mr. Hien's house, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Rit, 63 years old, also just harvested over one hectare of rice, yielding nearly 15 tons. She said that three days ago, traders offered to buy ST24 rice at 9,100 VND per kilogram, but now it's only 8,700 VND per kilogram. Her family lost more than 15 million VND compared to the old price.

Ms. Rit said that not only has the price of rice dropped due to the lack of transportation routes, but harvesting is also difficult as combine harvesters cannot access the fields. According to the plan, her family's rice crop was supposed to be harvested six days ago, but due to the canal drying up, the owner had to take a detour. "The rice ripened too late, resulting in a loss of several hundred kilograms per hectare after harvesting," Ms. Rit said.

According to local assessments, the irrigation system is running low due to the early end of the rainy season, while many people are focusing on pumping water into their fields and ponds to serve rice production and store it for fish farming and crop cultivation. This has caused many roads to subside. Currently, the entire Tran Van Thoi district has experienced more than 330 landslides and land subsidence points with a total length of approximately 9,000 meters, with estimated damages of nearly 12 billion VND.

Ms. Rít said that due to the late harvest, the rice crop lost several hundred kilograms per hectare. Photo: An Minh

In light of the above situation, the District People's Committee directed relevant departments and localities to strengthen measures to prevent and control landslides and land subsidence, and protect infrastructure and transportation facilities. The district advised people to trim trees to reduce the load on frequently landslide-prone areas, limit water storage when unnecessary; and avoid dredging land or building houses along rivers and canals, which increases the risk of subsidence and landslides.

According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, this year's El Nino phenomenon will repeat and is likely to last until the end of the first quarter. Due to the influence of El Nino, there will be less unseasonal rain during the dry months, and drought is predicted to be more severe than in previous years.

An Minh

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