By August 31, Mr. Danh Dat’s family in Long Thanh commune, Giong Rieng district had finished harvesting nearly 4 hectares of Summer-Autumn rice in 2024. This rice crop, the family planted 3 fields, sowing in 2 batches according to the recommendations of the agricultural sector to avoid the effects of drought and salinity. Of which, 1 field with the first batch of seeds was harvested in mid-August and the remaining 2 fields were harvested in the last days of August.

Mr. Dat said that the recent rice crop encountered many disadvantages due to unfavorable weather and heavy rain. However, thanks to the lack of pests and diseases, the rice yield was quite good, about 850 kg of fresh rice per hectare (1,000 m2). This yield was equivalent to the Summer-Autumn crop of previous years. However, thanks to the recent increase in the price of Dai Thom 8 rice, the profit was higher.

During the mid-August harvest, Mr. Dat sold at 8,200 VND/kg, and during the last two harvests this month, he sold at 8,900 VND/kg. Thanks to the low incidence of pests and diseases, the cost of the rice crop was relatively low, so after deducting expenses, his family earned a profit of about 3.5 million VND/ha.

In the fields of Vinh Hoa Hung Nam commune, Go Quao district, farmers are busy harvesting the Summer-Autumn rice crop. These are the rice fields sown in the fourth phase (the last phase) according to the recommendations of the agricultural sector because this area is affected by drought and salinity in the first months of 2024.

While harvesting rice in the field, Mr. Nguyen Van Hien said that not only his family but also many farmers who are harvesting rice are excited because the Summer-Autumn rice crop is “bumper crop, good price”. This rice crop, Mr. Hien’s family planted over 4.5 hectares with 2 rice varieties: Dai Thom 8 and ST 24. Of which, Dai Thom 8 rice is sold at 8,900 VND/kg, ST24 rice is sold at 9,200 VND/kg.

According to Mr. Hien, compared to the Summer-Autumn crops of 2023 and 2022, the price of rice this crop has increased by more than 1,000 VND/kg. Normally, the Summer-Autumn rice crop has a rather low yield due to the influence of the weather, so most farmers produce from 800-850 kg/cong. Meanwhile, the price of input costs such as rice seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, tillers, combine harvesters, etc. have all increased compared to before.

Therefore, if the rice price is not high, it is difficult for farmers to make a profit, so the current increase in rice price makes farmers very excited.

Many farmers hope that in the coming time, the State and Vietnamese rice exporting enterprises will have solutions to increase the value of rice, help stabilize the purchase price of rice at a level that ensures good profits for the people; contributing to the development of agriculture, farmers and rural areas.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Kien Giang, this year’s Summer-Autumn rice crop, the whole province planted nearly 277,000 hectares, mainly concentrated in the districts of Giong Rieng, Go Quao, Chau Thanh, Hon Dat, and Tan Hiep. Local farmers started harvesting rice from the end of June 2024 and have so far harvested more than 200,000 hectares, expected to be completed by mid-September 2024. The rice yield of this crop is estimated at nearly 5.7 tons/ha, with a total output of about 1.5 million tons.

Mr. Le Huu Toan – Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Kien Giang said that one of the important factors contributing to the success of this year’s Summer-Autumn rice crop is that the areas affected by drought and salinity have strictly followed the industry’s recommended sowing schedule. At the same time, the province has maintained the high-quality rice production area at over 90% of the total cultivated area; synchronously applied mechanization in production, especially in sowing, spraying, fertilizing, and harvesting; and promoted the replication of standard production models, effective forms of linking production, processing, consumption, and export of agricultural products.

The agricultural sector, together with relevant agencies and units, strengthens the management of the quality of rice seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides; coordinates with the provincial and central Hydrometeorological Stations to closely monitor weather developments to be proactive in production; operates the opening and closing of the sluice system to serve production, especially proactively deploying solutions to prevent and combat rain and storms to protect the production of the Summer-Autumn rice crop.

To limit the damage and impact of rain and storms on farmers’ rice harvest, the agricultural sector, local authorities and farmers need to pay attention to mobilizing all resources, taking advantage of sunny weather to harvest quickly, at the right time when the rice is about 90% ripe, the grains are straw yellow.

The functional sectors and local authorities promptly inform the people about the developments of natural disasters, tropical depressions, and storms so that they can be proactive in production, care, and preservation of rice after harvest; proactively check and repair dykes and embankments to protect rice fields; farmers regularly visit fields and pump water promptly to protect and limit flooding of rice fields.

In addition to closely monitoring weather forecasts and preparing adequate means, authorities coordinate with businesses and traders to ensure rice harvest and consumption; and prevent rice from being congested after harvest by farmers – Mr. Le Huu Toan informed.