Drought reaps paddy harvest

Ongoing drought may cost Vietnam farmers 5-6 trillion VND (about 3,000 million USD), a top official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) said on July 1.

Nearly 30 percent of the summer-autumn paddy crop in three northern central provinces – Thanh Hoa, Nghe An and Ha Tinh – are suffering from drought.

This was said at an urgent meeting to assess the situation. It was told about half the farmers are facing total wipe-out.

Prolonged hot and dry weather made about 70,000 hectares of paddy fields in the provinces impossible to farm – and the time for planting has finished.

Deputy head of MARD’s Planting Department, Pham Dong Quang, said the situation would become critical if there was no rain in the next five to seven days.

Dams and lakes in coastal southern central provinces, from Da Nang to Khanh Hoa, also report alarmingly low water levels.

Dong Cam and Thach Nham, two of the main dams in Phu Yen and Quang Ngai provinces, are more than a metre below crisis level.

Lakes in the region report water levels at 30 to 40 percent of their designed capacity. Pumping stations are finding it hard to perform due to the low water level and unstable electricity supplies.

At present, there is only enough water in storage to service farms throughout the region for 15 to 20 more days, a MARD specialist said.

The lack of rain is also seriously affecting households. More than 40,000 homes in coastal south-central provinces are experiencing water shortages.

Twelve central provinces are considering asking the Government for a grant of 300 billion VND (16 million USD) for drought affected regions.

Tags: Vietnam agriculture