In this Winter – Spring 2021 – 2022 crop, Kien Giang produces high-quality rice accounting for 98.5% of the total growing area. 210 large fields are built with an area of 52,277 ha, linking the consumption of 127 fields with an area of 31,496 ha.
Kien Giang province grow 283,868 ha, 868 ha more than planned. Up to now, the harvest season is done with an average yield of 7.4 tonnes/ha and the production reached more than two million tonnes.
According to the Kien Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in this crop, high-quality rice production accounts for 98.5% of the growing area, 210 large rice fields are built with an area of 52,277 ha, linking the consumption of 127 rice fields with an area of 31,496 ha.
Mr. Nguyen Van Dung, Director of the Kien Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said that the Winter-Spring 2021 – 2022 crop is effective.
Rice harvest season in Kien Giang.
The localities and the agricultural sector have actively taken measures to prevent and combat drought and saltwater intrusion.
The Department of Agriculture has built a seasonal production calendar for each region and subregion in the locality. Besides, farmers follow this calendar to avoid pests and combat drought and saltwater intrusion.
The Irrigation Department manages and operates to regulate water sources for agricultural production. This Winter-Spring crop is not lost by saltwater intrusion.
Along with that, farmers adapt effectively to the COVID-19 control in production and grow high-quality rice.
The provincial authorities coordinate with the localities to transfer advanced rice cultivation processes such as “3 down – 3 up,” “1 must – 5 down,” and high-tech rice production model.
On the other hand, farmers mechanize all stages in production, especially using new technologies such as cultivators, cluster sowing machines, drones, and vertical pumping stations controlled by smartphones. It has contributed to reducing the amount of seed sown and increasing the efficiency of using fertilizers and pesticides, thereby reducing the cost of production and increasing economic efficiency.
Many organizations and individuals in the province have invested in buying equipment, machinery, and high technology such as drones to spray pesticides, tractors, and harvesters that meet the demand for harvest in all weather conditions.
Mr. Le Van Hien, My Phuoc commune, Hon Dat district (Kien Giang) shared:
“In the world, high technology is used for agricultural production. I have watched and seen the high results, so my team purchased a drone to spray pesticides. This high technology is more economical and effective than traditional spraying, with more than 30% reduction of pesticides amount and spraying on all fields day or night. In the coming time, my team plans to continue to invest in two more drones for production.”
The Winter-Spring 2021 – 2022 crop is successful in terms of productivity and output as planned, contributing to compensating other economic sectors that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, farmers Kien Giang are not happy because of the high price of agricultural materials and the fall in rice prices compared to the last crop.
Many farmers in Hon Dat district said that since the beginning of the crop, the rice price has often fluctuated at VND 5,500-5,800/kg, high-quality rice VND 6,000-6,200/kg, reduced VND 1,000-1,500/kg compared to the last crop.
Meanwhile, the cost of production increased by VND 1.5-2 million compared to the last season due to the high price of agricultural materials, especially fertilizer.
Farmers need a plan to build a warehouse to store rice after harvest when prices are low, waiting for the price to rise to sell. This can help overcome the situation of “effective production but price loss”.
Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hong, a farmer in My Phuoc commune, Hon Dat district (Kien Giang) said that his family and farmers here mechanize production, know what varieties of rice are good and high-quality for growing; apply advanced farming processes to improve the productivity and quality of rice and spray pesticides for the safety for rice grains.
However, in production, farmers are always inactive about the output for rice products, prices are unstable, effective production but price loss. Therefore, the Government should make solutions, for example, buy stored rice at stable prices, stabilize the market, promote rice exports to help farmers consume rice at high prices, and produce profitably.
In the rice harvest season, farmers are affected by price fluctuations. The prices are decreased while the cost of agricultural supplies is raised, making it very difficult for farmers to stick to their fields. Especially the Summer-Fall crop this year will have many difficulties.
Regarding the Summer-Fall crop in 2022, Kien Giang province plans to grow 281,000 hectares concentrated in Giang Thanh, Hon Dat, Chau Thanh, Tan Hiep, Dong Rieng districts, and Rach Gia city.