Farmers in Vu Quang dig ponds to store water to combat drought for their orange trees.

Digging ponds to store water, investing in pumping systems and irrigation pipes... these are some of the solutions that farmers in Vu Quang ( Ha Tinh province ) are actively implementing to "combat drought" for more than 2,600 hectares of oranges during the dry season.

While busily pulling water pipes to irrigate his family's more than 1 hectare of mandarin oranges, Mr. Nguyen Van Minh (village 5, Tho Dien commune) said: "This year, the prolonged hot weather with high temperatures has caused the oranges to wither very quickly. To protect the oranges from the heat, since the beginning of the dry season, I have invested in two high-capacity water pumps and an irrigation system with pipes over 200 meters long, costing nearly 8 million VND, to facilitate the care of the orange trees."

Every day, Mr. Minh makes sure to wake up early in the morning to pump water to irrigate his orange orchard. According to Mr. Minh, this is the time when the orange trees are in the fruit-bearing stage, so providing water to the trees is very important.

Mr. Minh's family also invested over 30 million VND to rent a machine to dig a pond for water storage, ensuring a reliable water source for irrigation during prolonged periods of hot weather.

Mr. Minh said: Thanks to proactively implementing heat-resistant measures early and focusing on care, his family's more than 1 hectare of orange trees remains lush and green, with uniformly developing fruit. This year, the trees are bearing abundant fruit, and the family is hoping for a bountiful harvest.

Not only Mr. Minh's family, but also Mr. Vo Van Son (village 5, Tho Dien commune) is focusing on caring for and nurturing the fruit of his family's more than 1 hectare of orange trees to cope with the prolonged hot weather. In addition to watering regularly every morning, Mr. Minh also uses grass and dried plants to mulch the base of the trees, helping them to get the necessary moisture.

Mr. Son said: "Every year, growing oranges brings my family an income of over 200 million VND. To ensure the orange trees maintain stable growth and survive the hot weather, I always closely monitor their development. I regularly weed around the base of the trees and prune diseased or dry branches. Hopefully, with careful care, this orange season will be another bountiful one."

Thanks to regular watering, Mr. Son's orange orchard is always lush and full of life.

According to many locals, this year the rate of flowering and fruit setting of oranges is higher than last year, so special attention is being paid to caring for them according to technical procedures to ensure a successful harvest.

Unlike other orange orchards in the area that use automatic irrigation or drip irrigation technology, Mr. Doan Quoc Hoai's family (Hamlet 1, Quang Tho Commune) manually uses a hose to irrigate their more than 3-hectare orchard, which contains over 1,500 trees, on the hillside every day. According to Mr. Hoai, using a hose ensures the orange trees receive sufficient and even water. Furthermore, this method prevents weeding and fertilizing from getting tangled in the irrigation system.

Besides taking care of the orange trees that are already bearing fruit, this year Mr. Hoai has planted nearly 200 new orange trees. Therefore, he pays special attention to caring for these young trees.

Thanks to proactive measures taken to care for the trees and nurture the fruit, over 2,600 hectares of orange groves in Vu Quang district are developing well, promising a successful harvest.

Due to the prolonged heatwave, the department has directed local authorities to actively guide people in implementing heat-protective measures for over 2,600 hectares of orange groves, such as: mulching the base of the trees, investing in irrigation systems; using water sparingly, regulating irrigation water from reservoirs, rivers and streams appropriately, or investing in digging ponds to store water. Thanks to the synchronized implementation of these solutions, the orange groves in the area are currently developing well, with large, uniform fruits that are not wilting.

Mr. Phan Xuan Nam

Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vu Quang District

Van Chung

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nong-nghiep/nong-dan-vu-quang-dao-ao-tich-nuoc-chong-han-cho-cam/249933.htm