Tien Giang: Western farmers urgently plant summer-autumn rice crop

RICE PRICES HAVE NOT BEEN UP

According to reports, farmers in the western districts are urgently harvesting the spring-summer rice crop. However, in recent days, frequent rains have made it difficult for farmers to harvest rice.
When we arrived, Mr. Nguyen Van Tai's rice field (Tan Hung Tay hamlet, Tan Hoa Tay commune, Tan Phuoc district) was still being harvested due to the impact of the rain the day before. According to Mr. Tai, his family's 8 hectares of land were sown with IR 50404 variety this season.

Mr. Quan's family has had difficulty harvesting more than 6 hectares of land due to frequent rains in recent days.

Traders have placed a deposit on rice at 5,400 VND/kg. Mr. Tai shared: “With the rain wetting the rice like this, it will be difficult for the drivers to harvest it. This crop has low productivity and low rice prices, so farmers are having a hard time.”

Also in Tan Hoa Tay commune, Mr. Nguyen Van Hai's family (Tan Hung Dong hamlet) cultivates 5.5 hectares of rice. In the last spring-summer rice crop, he sowed OM 18 rice and finished harvesting 2 days ago. The rice was purchased by traders at 6,500 VND/kg.

According to the Import-Export Department - Ministry of Industry and Trade , despite many difficulties due to the impact of the world market, our country's rice export activities have also achieved positive results.

In the first four months of this year, Vietnam's rice export turnover reached more than 3.43 million tons, equivalent to nearly 1.77 billion USD, up 8.1% in volume, but down 13.3% in value compared to the same period last year. The average rice price reached 515 USD/ton, down nearly 20% compared to the same period.

Our country's largest rice export market is the Philippines (accounting for 43.3% of the total volume), Ivory Coast is the second largest importer (accounting for nearly 13%) and the Chinese market (accounting for 10.5%)...

According to Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Tien Giang province Luu Van Phi, in order for the rice export industry to develop sustainably, we must reorganize production according to value chain linkages; invest in upgrading equipment and factories.

Banks need to work together with businesses to get investment capital. We need to build brands, develop value-added products; call on businesses to invest in deep processing and logistics systems. We need to diversify rice export markets and adjust rice export regulations.

Mr. Hai shared: “Nowadays, rice cultivation is very easy, all mechanization is applied. Fertilizer spreading, pesticide spraying, sowing are done by airplane. Farmers only need to inform the date and time and they will come to work. The difficulty for farmers now is that the profit is too low. This crop, my family's rice yield is about 6.5 tons/ha. After deducting expenses, the profit is only about 1.5 million VND/ha.”

In My Hanh Dong commune, Cai Lay town, many farmers are taking advantage of the sunny weather to harvest the spring-summer rice crop. While watching the combine harvester harvest rice, Mr. Nguyen Van Quan (My Phu hamlet, My Hanh Dong commune) said: "This season, my family sowed more than 6 hectares of land with OM 18 rice variety. At the beginning of the season, this variety cost 6,800 VND/kg, but now it has dropped to only 6,000 VND/kg. At this price, each hectare of land only makes a profit of about 1 million VND."

According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture , this spring-summer crop, farmers in the western districts planted about 18,600 hectares of rice, mainly sowing high-quality rice varieties. According to records, the current price of IR 50404 rice in the western region fluctuates from 5,300 - 5,600 VND/kg, OM 5451 from 6,000 - 6,200 VND/kg, OM 380 (fresh) reaches 5,200 - 5,400 VND/kg.

URGENTLY PLANT THE SUMMER-FALL CROP

According to records, although rice prices have not improved, at this time, farmers in the Western region are urgently planting summer-autumn rice crops.

Mr. Trung puts seeds into the sprayer to sow the summer-autumn rice crop.

In Tan Hoa Tay commune, after harvesting rice, many farmers are focusing on burning straw and preparing the land for the summer-autumn rice crop. This summer-autumn crop, 9 hectares of land of Mr. Le Van Trung's family (Tan Hung Tay hamlet) are used to sow OM 18 rice. After harvesting the spring-summer crop, his family quickly burned straw, built banks, and rented a plow to sow the seeds.

Mr. Trung shared: “Last crop, after deducting expenses, the highest profit was 2 million VND/cong, not including house labor. In the last 2 crops, rice prices have dropped sharply, so farming has not been very profitable. Meanwhile, this crop, the price of urea fertilizer has increased sharply compared to the previous crop, causing input costs to increase even more.”

Also in Tan Phuoc district, when we arrived, it was also the time when Mr. Nguyen Van Nghiep (My Thanh hamlet, Phuoc Lap commune) was busy preparing the land to sow the summer-autumn rice crop. This summer-autumn crop, his family's 4 hectares of land were sown with OM 18 variety. Mr. Nghiep shared: "A few years ago, the rice price was high, so all farmers were excited, but now the rice price is too low, so there is not much profit."

In this year's summer-autumn rice crop, farmers in the Western region planted about 18,500 hectares. The Department of Agriculture recommends that farmers sow high-quality rice varieties. For areas ready for planting, farmers need to prepare good seeds, clean the fields and prepare the soil carefully. At the same time, it is necessary to apply a combination of farming measures right from the beginning of the crop to effectively manage pests on rice plants.

ANH THU

Source: https://baoapbac.vn/kinh-te/202506/tien-giang-nong-dan-phia-tay-khan-truong-xuong-giong-vu-lua-he-thu-1044581/