Farmers nationwide are reporting high yields for their winter-springrice crop despite unfavourable weather in many provinces, including acold wave and a plant-disease outbreak in the north.
Twoprolonged cold spells in February and cool weather in March in the northhave extended the growing period of rice before the blooming stage byseven to 10 days.
Despite this, farms have had high yields asfarmers have used special cultivation techniques, a representative ofthe Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said at ameeting in central Thanh Hoa province earlier this week to review thenorthern region's rice output.
The north has had an average yieldof 6.2 tonnes a hectare, up 50 kilos against last year's winter-springcrop, the ministry said.
Northern provinces have planted moreshort-term rice and high-quality rice varieties this year, and thecultivation of hybrid-rice varieties has increased productivity andoutput.
Deputy Minister Le Quoc Doanh said farmers should closely monitor their fields to prevent disease outbreaks.
The northern region has planted over 1.1 million ha of rice, down 1,500 ha against the 2012-13 winter-spring crop.
In the central region, rice yields in many provinces like Quang Nam and Quang Ngai have reached a record high.
QuangNgai has planted over 38,800ha of rice in the winter-spring crop,harvested an average yield of 5.7 tonnes per hectare, said theprovince's agriculture department.
The departmentattributed the high productivity rate to several factors, includinghigh-quality and disease-resistant seeds, appropriate cultivationmethods and sufficient irrigation water.
The province has facedseveral unfavourable weather conditions, such as prolonged rain, floodsand cold spells after initial planting, and drought in the middle of thecrop.
In Quang Nam province, the winter-spring crop has achieveda record-high yield, said the province's Department of Agriculture andRural Development.
The province's rice output is expected to reach 244,000 tonnes, up 6,500 tonnes against last year.
Theministry said farmers in the Mekong Delta, the country's rice basket,had completed the harvesting of 1.6 million ha of the winter-springcrop, with an average yield of 6.8 tonne per ha, an increase of 0.3tonnes over the estimate by the ministry's Plant Cultivation Department.
Thedelta this year also expanded the area of large-scale rice fields toover 100,000ha for the winter-spring crop, up 34,000 ha against lastyear, according to the Steering Committee for Southwest Region.
AnGiang province and Can Tho city have the largest areas of large-scalerice fields in the delta. Farmers of these fields sign contracts withcompanies to grow high-quality rice for export.-VNA
Twoprolonged cold spells in February and cool weather in March in the northhave extended the growing period of rice before the blooming stage byseven to 10 days.
Despite this, farms have had high yields asfarmers have used special cultivation techniques, a representative ofthe Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said at ameeting in central Thanh Hoa province earlier this week to review thenorthern region's rice output.
The north has had an average yieldof 6.2 tonnes a hectare, up 50 kilos against last year's winter-springcrop, the ministry said.
Northern provinces have planted moreshort-term rice and high-quality rice varieties this year, and thecultivation of hybrid-rice varieties has increased productivity andoutput.
Deputy Minister Le Quoc Doanh said farmers should closely monitor their fields to prevent disease outbreaks.
The northern region has planted over 1.1 million ha of rice, down 1,500 ha against the 2012-13 winter-spring crop.
In the central region, rice yields in many provinces like Quang Nam and Quang Ngai have reached a record high.
QuangNgai has planted over 38,800ha of rice in the winter-spring crop,harvested an average yield of 5.7 tonnes per hectare, said theprovince's agriculture department.
The departmentattributed the high productivity rate to several factors, includinghigh-quality and disease-resistant seeds, appropriate cultivationmethods and sufficient irrigation water.
The province has facedseveral unfavourable weather conditions, such as prolonged rain, floodsand cold spells after initial planting, and drought in the middle of thecrop.
In Quang Nam province, the winter-spring crop has achieveda record-high yield, said the province's Department of Agriculture andRural Development.
The province's rice output is expected to reach 244,000 tonnes, up 6,500 tonnes against last year.
Theministry said farmers in the Mekong Delta, the country's rice basket,had completed the harvesting of 1.6 million ha of the winter-springcrop, with an average yield of 6.8 tonne per ha, an increase of 0.3tonnes over the estimate by the ministry's Plant Cultivation Department.
Thedelta this year also expanded the area of large-scale rice fields toover 100,000ha for the winter-spring crop, up 34,000 ha against lastyear, according to the Steering Committee for Southwest Region.
AnGiang province and Can Tho city have the largest areas of large-scalerice fields in the delta. Farmers of these fields sign contracts withcompanies to grow high-quality rice for export.-VNA
