Increase the area of autumn-winter rice to handle the opportunity

Increase the sowing area of autumn - winter rice

According to the recommended time, there are nearly 10 days left for Kien Giang farmers to finish the sowing schedule of the 2023 autumn - winter rice crop. However, this year has many advantages. Input prices have cooled down. Commodity rice prices are on the rise, creating motivation for farmers to sow seeds actively. By the beginning of August, localities in the province had sown nearly 4,000 hectares more than planned. The sowing area reaches approximately 75,000 hectares.

In 2023, Kien Giang's agricultural sector was assigned to produce food from 4.4 million tons or more. The crop and winter - spring 2022 - 2023 have entirely harvested more than 2.52 million tons. The task for the last 6 months of 2023 needs to produce nearly 2 million tons of commodity rice, including the summer-autumn crop of 2023, which is almost finished. The output is estimated at 1.6 million tons. The rest is from the autumn-winter crop. If the production plan is well implemented, increases the sowing area, effectively prevents diseases, and maintains productivity, the whole year of rice production will likely exceed the target, with an estimated harvest of more than 4.5 million tons.

Initially, the agricultural sector of Kien Giang plans to produce the autumn-winter rice crop in 2023 with a total area of 71,200 hectares. The sowing schedule focuses on two main phases, the first from July 10-25 and the second from August 5-15. The production area is concentrated in districts with dike infrastructure to serve the good production of 3 crops/year, such as Giong Rieng, Giang Thanh, Tan Hiep, Chau Thanh, Hon Dat, Go Quao, and Rach Gia. Thanks to the increase in rice prices and good consumption, some districts have increased the area of autumn-winter rice varieties such as Tan Hiep, reaching more than 25,900 hectares, an increase of nearly 5,000 hectares compared to the plan; Giong Rieng increased by almost 500 hectares, reaching 25,940 hectares. The province's autumn-winter rice tea is in the seedling stage, tillering, blossoming, and developing well.

Regarding technical measures, the Sub-Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection of Hau Giang province recommends farmers clean their fields, treat rice straw and ensure a quarantine period of at least 20 days before sowing to avoid harmful organisms and avoid organic poisoning. Trichoderma fungi can decompose rice straws to limit root rot in rice. Advanced rice farming processes should be applied, such as 3 decreases 3 increases, 1 must 5 decreases, SRP, IPM, and ecological technology in pest management.

Sowing autumn - winter rice in a safe dike

According to statistics of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Long An, the province has harvested nearly 60,000 hectares of summer-autumn rice, the yield is estimated at 643 kg/ha, and the output is almost 400,000 tons. Besides summer-autumn rice, in some districts, farmers have sown the 2023 autumn - winter rice crop right after harvesting early summer-autumn rice. Up to now, the province has sown more than 38,000 out of 57,000 hectares of autumn - winter rice, concentrated in the districts of Tan Hung, Tan Thanh, Thanh Hoa, and Kien Tuong town. Due to the rainy season, harmful organisms on rice plants can easily arise and develop, especially pests and diseases: leaf blast, leaf scorch, brown planthopper.

Nguyen Chi Thien, Deputy Director of Long An Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: For autumn-winter rice production, based on the conditions of each locality, flexibly adjusts according to the actual situation to develop a detailed plan. Striving for the province's autumn-winter rice production to reach 285,800 tons, Dong Thap Muoi reaches over 230,000 tons, and the southern districts get 55,500 tons.

When arranging the sowing season for the autumn-winter season 2023, localities should pay attention not to affect the sowing of the winter-spring crop of 2023 - 2024. At the same time, priority should be given to using rice varieties resistant to brown planthopper, yellow dwarf and leaf curl, leaf blight, leaf blight, and tree stiffness to limit falling. For the 2023 autumn - winter rice crop to be successful, the agricultural sector of Long An proposed localities to strengthen propaganda and widely recommend on the mass media harmful organisms on rice and measures to prevent them.

Similarly, the agricultural sector of Dong Thap province has proposed key solutions to increase competitiveness and promote rice exports. Le Quoc Dien, Deputy Director of the Dong Thap Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that the increase in the production value of rice in Dong Thap is due to the province's good implementation of the seed structure, which tends to shift from planting low-quality of high-quality varieties and focusing on a few main groups of high-yield varieties such as Dai Thom 8, OM 18, OM 5451, OM 4900, and Nang Hoa 9. The percentage of high-quality seed groups reached 69.6%.

In the first 6 months of 2023, Dong Thap's rice exports are estimated at 262,920 tons, with a turnover of more than US$ 152 million, up 72% in value over the same period in 2022.

Because the 2023 autumn-winter rice crop is sown in highly complex weather conditions, farmers need to regularly monitor the Agricultural Weather Forecast to minimize damage caused by storms when deciding to sow. For the sown autumn-winter rice that has been affected by storms in recent times, it is recommended that farmers carry out transplanting, fertilizing, and caring for the rice plants to recover quickly. Besides, managing harmful organisms such as yellow apple snails, mice, and harmful leaf blast disease is necessary.