Summer-autumn rice: Costs down 20%, price up 20%, farmers filled with excitement

Hai Lang district is considered the “granary” of Quang Tri province. In this year's summer-autumn rice crop, Hai Lang plants over 6,700 ha, with an average yield estimated at 6.2 tons/ha. The district has harvested over 80% of the rice area, and some communes have even completed the harvest. In some highland communes, due to late sowing and using varieties with a long growing period, the harvest is expected to be completed before September 10.

Nguyen Khuynh, a member of Thien Tay Cooperative (Hai Dinh commune, Hai Lang district), has harvested nearly 3 ha of summer-autumn rice, yielding more than 6.4 tons/ha (dry rice). Never has he experienced such a favorable summer-autumn rice crop.

Although at the beginning of the crop, there was a risk of lack of water for irrigation, thanks to the local irrigation system operating actively and efficiently, rice grew well. Fertilizer prices in the summer-autumn crop also decreased, not to mention fewer pests and diseases seen in the fields, so he could save production costs while the yield and selling price of rice were much higher than in previous years. Khuynh as well as other farmers in the district were full of excitement.

“In the summer-autumn crop last year, the rice yield was only 5.6 - 6 tons/ha, while this year it is more than 6.4 tons/ha. The price of rice has spiked dramatically, so now traders are buying at the field, offering an average price of 8,200 VND/kg (dry rice). After the rice is harvested, it only takes about 1 afternoon to dry, and traders will come to the fields and buy it on the spot," said Khuynh.

According to Bui Nhu Loc, Vice Chairman of Hai Dinh Commune People's Committee, the entire commune has over 775 ha of summer-autumn rice. So far the harvest has basically been completed. The yield is around 6.2 - 6.3 tons/ha.

At the beginning of the crop, traders buy rice at a price of up to 9,500 VND/kg (dry rice). When the harvest is done, the rice price still reaches 8,200 - 8,500 VND/kg, which is already 1,500 - 2,000 VND/kg higher than the previous crop. Considering the current price, farmers earn an average of VND 20 - 30 million/ha.

As for Trieu Phong district, the summer-autumn rice harvest is taking place with great urgency. Tran Thien Nhan, Head of the Office of Agriculture and Rural Development of Trieu Phong district, said that farmers are currently at the full harvest stage. The average rice yield of the whole district is expected at 6 tons/ha, equivalent to 0.2 tons/ha higher than the previous year. The district currently has its focuses on manpower and machinery to quickly harvest summer-autumn rice with the motto "green home is better than old field" to limit damage caused by natural disasters at the end of the crop.

To ensure a successful summer-autumn crop, the Office of Agriculture and Rural Development of Trieu Phong district has directed localities to have a plan to mobilize human resources and machinery to harvest and dry late rice teas in order to limit potential losses. Areas at risk of flooding will be reviewed and circled in order to prioritize early harvest. The district also plans to dredge canals and open up flows to drain water when heavy rains occur.

Bui Phuoc Trang, Director of Quang Tri Sub-Department of Plant Protection and Crop Production, said that by the end of August, Quang Tri farmers had harvested 70% of the summer-autumn rice area, with the yield exceeding 5.7 tons/ha. According to the plan, Quang Tri will complete the summer-autumn rice harvest in lowland areas before August 31 and basically complete the highland rice harvest before September 5 to avoid floods.

“According to calculation, production costs decrease by 15-20%, rice prices increase by 17-20% in this year's summer-autumn crop. Easy consumption plus increased income makes farmers feel very excited. However, it should be noted that they need to take advantage of favorable weather to speed up the harvest when the rice is ripe. The harvested must reach 80 - 85% to minimize damage when natural disasters occur," said Director Trang.