Farmers are rushing to harvest the spring rice crop.

Despite the scorching hot weather, farmers in various localities are still busily harvesting the spring rice crop and processing the straw to prepare for the new planting season.

*Harvesting rice with a combine harvester in the fields of Vo Lao commune.*

In the fields of Vo Lao commune, Van Ban district, the atmosphere of harvest season is bustling and lively these days. The hot weather and dry rice create ideal conditions for farmers to speed up the harvesting process. The sounds of combine harvesters, threshing machines, and cheerful laughter fill the fields. The golden, ripe rice stalks, heavy with grain, are proof of a bountiful spring harvest.

*With favorable weather conditions, this year's spring rice crop is bountiful.*

In recent years, people in Vo Lao commune have actively applied mechanization to rice production, especially in the harvesting stage, helping to reduce labor and harvesting time. Mr. Ha Khuong Duy, from Chieng 3 village, Vo Lao commune, said: "Previously, my family used to spend a whole day harvesting more than 3 sao (approximately 0.3 hectares) of rice, but now with a combine harvester, it only takes about 20 minutes to transport the rice home. The rental price for a combine harvester is 30,000 VND per sack of rice (60 kg). This year, the weather was quite favorable, the rice crop was good, and my family harvested nearly 1 ton of rice."

*People in Vo Lao commune are harvesting and transporting rice home.*

Also cultivating in the fields of Vo Lao commune, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuyen's family in Chieng 1 village both rent combine harvesters and harvest manually because some low-lying fields have weak soil that is not suitable for the machines. Mr. Tuyen said: "Harvesting with machines is faster and more economical, but some fields still have to be harvested by hand. After harvesting and transporting the rice home, we take advantage of the sunny weather to process the straw, burning it to get ash for sowing seedlings for the next rice crop. Most people here harvest rice to use for daily life and livestock farming."

*Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuyen's family is busy processing straw and rice stalks in preparation for the upcoming rice crop.*

According to residents of Vo Lao commune, the effective application of mechanization has made rice harvesting more economical and faster. At the current pace, the entire rice field of nearly 500 hectares in Vo Lao commune can be harvested in about a week. After that, farmers immediately begin preparing the land and sowing seedlings for the next rice crop.

*Farmers in Ban Qua commune, Bat Xat district, are busily harvesting their spring rice crop.*

Similarly, in the fields of Ban Qua commune, Bat Xat district, farmers are also actively harvesting the spring rice crop. Farmers here are using both combine harvesters and manual harvesting, depending on the conditions of the fields.

Ms. Lo Thi Minh from Cooc Cai village said: "This season, my family sowed 11 kilograms of seeds and harvested 15 bags of rice (60 kg/bag). Harvesting was convenient because we had a combine harvester. The cost of renting the machine was also more economical than manual harvesting. After harvesting, we collected the straw for livestock, and burned some of it to make ash to prepare for sowing seedlings. We let the land rest for about 20 days before starting the main rice crop."

*The spring rice crop in various localities is ripening to a golden yellow.*

Not only farmers in Vo Lao and Ban Qua communes, but also farmers in other lowland areas are currently harvesting the early spring rice crop. Meanwhile, the main spring rice crop is in the ripening stage, turning red at the tips. The late rice crop is in the heading and flowering stage.

For the spring crop season, farmers throughout the province planted 9,871 hectares of rice (Lao Cai City 489 ha, Bat Xat 1,006 ha, Muong Khuong 424 ha, Bao Thang 1,563 ha, Van Ban 3,350 ha, Bao Yen 2,595 ha, Bac Ha 444 ha). Authorities advise farmers to take advantage of favorable weather conditions, increase the application of science and technology in production, proactively harvest the spring rice crop; utilize conditions to concentrate on drying and processing to prevent post-harvest losses and ensure rice quality. It is necessary to regulate and retain water in the fields; prepare machinery, agricultural supplies, seeds, and fertilizers to implement the summer-autumn crop production according to the schedule.

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