Rice yields for the 2013-14 crop in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta have reached the highest level in a decade.
Withthe peak harvest season about to begin, rice fields have yielded about 1tonne per hectare higher than last year's winter-spring crop.
TheMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Plant CultivationDepartment expects that the delta will have an average yield of 6.5tonnes per ha for the winter-spring crop.
However, farmers have been harvesting an average yield of 6.5 -7.5 tonnes per hectare.
Insome areas, including in Vinh Long province's Tam Binh district, TienGiang province's Cai Be district and Dong Thap province's Thap Muoidistrict, farmers have seen yields of up to 9-10 tonnes per hectare.
Besides high yields, farmers have also received good prices, earning high profits.
FarmerPham Van Bang in Dong Thap province's Cao Lanh district, who has earneda profit of more than 300 million VND from 12ha of rice, said the priceof rice had been unstable over the past two years but had increasedthis year.
Pham Van Cong, who has harvested 4ha of rice in HauGiang province's Chau Thanh A district, said farmers were confidentprices would remain stable as traders were giving deposits to farmers tobuy rice in advance.
The delta's provinces and Can Tho haveharvested nearly half of their winter-spring rice crop areas, accordingto local departments of agriculture and rural development.
Thedelta, which planted 1.6 million hectares in the winter-spring ricecrop, is scheduled to complete harvesting the crop in early May.
Likeseveral other provinces in the delta, Dong Thap has harvested thewinter-spring rice crop early, and has completed 50 percent of thewinter-spring rice area.
Dong Thap is expected to completeharvesting nearly all of its crops by the end of this month, accordingto the province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
AlthoughDong Thap has been harvesting at a rate of about 40 percent slower thanlast year, this year's winger-spring crop has had less rice diseases,high yields and good prices, said the province's Sub-department of PlantProtection.
In this winter-spring rice crop, Dong Thap farmershave switched from growing IR 50404, which has high yield and lowquality, to more high-quality rice varieties.
The areas of ricevariety IR50404 in Dong Thap's southern districts have fallen to 40percent of the districts' total rice area compared to 90 percent lastyear, according to the provincial Agriculture Extension Centre.
NguyenThanh Huong, the centre's director, said farmers were now more awarethat they needed to plant high-quality rice for export.
For thiswinter-spring crop, the delta's provinces and Can Tho have developedmore large-scale rice fields that grow high-quality rice for export.
Large-ricefields in Dong Thap cover 80,000ha this year, compared to 2,400ha in2008. In An Giang province, the area of large-scale rice fields is16,000ha.
Many farmers in An Giang have taken part in productionmodels like large-scale rice fields, in which farmers contract withexport companies to grow high-quality rice.
By doing so,production costs have fallen by 10-20 percent compared to traditionalrice cultivation, according to Doan Ngoc Pha, Deputy Director of the AnGiang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Farmersare able to sell their rice to these export companies at prices that are100-200 VND per kilo higher than the market price.-VNA
Withthe peak harvest season about to begin, rice fields have yielded about 1tonne per hectare higher than last year's winter-spring crop.
TheMinistry of Agriculture and Rural Development's Plant CultivationDepartment expects that the delta will have an average yield of 6.5tonnes per ha for the winter-spring crop.
However, farmers have been harvesting an average yield of 6.5 -7.5 tonnes per hectare.
Insome areas, including in Vinh Long province's Tam Binh district, TienGiang province's Cai Be district and Dong Thap province's Thap Muoidistrict, farmers have seen yields of up to 9-10 tonnes per hectare.
Besides high yields, farmers have also received good prices, earning high profits.
FarmerPham Van Bang in Dong Thap province's Cao Lanh district, who has earneda profit of more than 300 million VND from 12ha of rice, said the priceof rice had been unstable over the past two years but had increasedthis year.
Pham Van Cong, who has harvested 4ha of rice in HauGiang province's Chau Thanh A district, said farmers were confidentprices would remain stable as traders were giving deposits to farmers tobuy rice in advance.
The delta's provinces and Can Tho haveharvested nearly half of their winter-spring rice crop areas, accordingto local departments of agriculture and rural development.
Thedelta, which planted 1.6 million hectares in the winter-spring ricecrop, is scheduled to complete harvesting the crop in early May.
Likeseveral other provinces in the delta, Dong Thap has harvested thewinter-spring rice crop early, and has completed 50 percent of thewinter-spring rice area.
Dong Thap is expected to completeharvesting nearly all of its crops by the end of this month, accordingto the province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
AlthoughDong Thap has been harvesting at a rate of about 40 percent slower thanlast year, this year's winger-spring crop has had less rice diseases,high yields and good prices, said the province's Sub-department of PlantProtection.
In this winter-spring rice crop, Dong Thap farmershave switched from growing IR 50404, which has high yield and lowquality, to more high-quality rice varieties.
The areas of ricevariety IR50404 in Dong Thap's southern districts have fallen to 40percent of the districts' total rice area compared to 90 percent lastyear, according to the provincial Agriculture Extension Centre.
NguyenThanh Huong, the centre's director, said farmers were now more awarethat they needed to plant high-quality rice for export.
For thiswinter-spring crop, the delta's provinces and Can Tho have developedmore large-scale rice fields that grow high-quality rice for export.
Large-ricefields in Dong Thap cover 80,000ha this year, compared to 2,400ha in2008. In An Giang province, the area of large-scale rice fields is16,000ha.
Many farmers in An Giang have taken part in productionmodels like large-scale rice fields, in which farmers contract withexport companies to grow high-quality rice.
By doing so,production costs have fallen by 10-20 percent compared to traditionalrice cultivation, according to Doan Ngoc Pha, Deputy Director of the AnGiang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.
Farmersare able to sell their rice to these export companies at prices that are100-200 VND per kilo higher than the market price.-VNA
