Central Highlands provinces plan to expand the area under hybrid maize to 250,000 hectares this year, according to the Steering Committee for the Central Highlands region.

Dak Lak province aims to cultivate high-yield hybrid maize crops on 121,000 hectares, the largest area in the region. Some 30,000 hectares have been cultivated in rainy season.

Local farmers are advised to replace wet rice with hybrid maize in areas vulnerable to water shortage. They are also guided in planting maize among young coffee and rubber trees to optimize land and increase their income.

Agricultural authorities have provided farmers with high-yield maize varieties together with cultivation techniques.

According to the Steering Committee, in 2014, the region produced more than 1.3 million tonnes of maize grains, of which Dak Lak accounted for 665,000 tonnes, and Dak Nong, 333,172 tonnes.-VNA