The southern central and Central Highlands regions should revamp theircropping structures, since drought has severely affected their ricecultivation in recent years, experts said.
Theregions together account for 613,100ha of rice, or 7.9 percent of thecountry’s total, according to the Plant Cultivation Department.
Five provinces in the Central Highlands and five out of seven inthe southern central region besides Da Nang City have stoppedgrowing rice on more than 11,000ha because of water shortage, it said.
Corn, peanuts, vegetables, and other cash cropsare now grown on 6,200 ha out of this, with the switch helping farmersin drought-prone areas earn reasonable incomes, according to localofficials.
In Phu Cat district in the south-central province of Binh Dinh , for instance, farmers who used toplant one rice crop a year are now growing one peanut crop and two onioncrops on 340ha.
Peanut yields two times moreprofits than rice. In Chu Prong district in the Central Highlandsprovince of Gia Lai , many famers with rain–fed rice paddies haveswitched to green bean.
Speaking at a recentseminar held in Binh Dinh by the Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment (MARD), many participants said hybrid corn is the mostsuitable crop for the regions since it is drought resistant, followedby peanut and soybean.
Compared to rice, corncould yield 6-10 million VND more profit per hectare per crop, theysaid, adding that the switch from rice to cash crops also has certainlimitations.
Nguyen Van Hoa, deputy head of thedepartment said these include farmers’ tardiness in using advancedfarming techniques and the small areas on which crops with high demandlike corn, soybean and peanuts are grown.
Participants also raised concern about stable outlets for the crops.
Luong Van Vang, deputy head of the Corn Research Institute said150,000-170,000ha of rice paddies could be converted into corn-growingareas, but event this would not be enough to meet the demand for cornfor producing animal feed in the next 5-10 years.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Dang Doanhsaid close cooperation among famers, companies’ scientists, and theGovernment should be established to secure outlets for farmer’s produce.
Research institutes and universities shouldprovide high-quality crop strains to meet farmers’ needs in the regions,he said.-VNA
Theregions together account for 613,100ha of rice, or 7.9 percent of thecountry’s total, according to the Plant Cultivation Department.
Five provinces in the Central Highlands and five out of seven inthe southern central region besides Da Nang City have stoppedgrowing rice on more than 11,000ha because of water shortage, it said.
Corn, peanuts, vegetables, and other cash cropsare now grown on 6,200 ha out of this, with the switch helping farmersin drought-prone areas earn reasonable incomes, according to localofficials.
In Phu Cat district in the south-central province of Binh Dinh , for instance, farmers who used toplant one rice crop a year are now growing one peanut crop and two onioncrops on 340ha.
Peanut yields two times moreprofits than rice. In Chu Prong district in the Central Highlandsprovince of Gia Lai , many famers with rain–fed rice paddies haveswitched to green bean.
Speaking at a recentseminar held in Binh Dinh by the Ministry of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment (MARD), many participants said hybrid corn is the mostsuitable crop for the regions since it is drought resistant, followedby peanut and soybean.
Compared to rice, corncould yield 6-10 million VND more profit per hectare per crop, theysaid, adding that the switch from rice to cash crops also has certainlimitations.
Nguyen Van Hoa, deputy head of thedepartment said these include farmers’ tardiness in using advancedfarming techniques and the small areas on which crops with high demandlike corn, soybean and peanuts are grown.
Participants also raised concern about stable outlets for the crops.
Luong Van Vang, deputy head of the Corn Research Institute said150,000-170,000ha of rice paddies could be converted into corn-growingareas, but event this would not be enough to meet the demand for cornfor producing animal feed in the next 5-10 years.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Dang Doanhsaid close cooperation among famers, companies’ scientists, and theGovernment should be established to secure outlets for farmer’s produce.
Research institutes and universities shouldprovide high-quality crop strains to meet farmers’ needs in the regions,he said.-VNA
