HCM City (VNS/VNA) - The southern region estimates that it willproduce more than 26 million tonnes of paddy this year, up 1.1 million tonnesagainst last year, meeting its target for the year.

The region, the country’s rice granary, has planted more than 4.4 millionhectares of rice this year, down by 63,500ha against last year, according tothe Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s (MARD) Plant CultivationDepartment.

However, the yield has been 5.95 tonnes per hectare a crop, up 338 kilogrammesagainst last year.

Farmers have also shifted many rice areas to higher-value crops like vegetablesand fruits, according to representatives of the region’s 17 provinces and twomajor cities (Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh City).

Speaking at a seminar held in the Mekong Delta province of Kien Giang lastweek, Nguyen Chi Thien, deputy director of the Long An provincial Department ofAgriculture and Rural Development, said the province was reducing the number ofrice areas and shifting them to other crops.

This year, about 7,000ha of rice areas were shifted to fruit tree cultivationin Long An.

The province has developed 94 large rice fields with a total of 16,538ha thisyear, meeting 33 percent of its target, according to its Department ofAgriculture and Rural Development.

The region has been developing large rice fields to secure outlets and higherprofits for farmers, but the rate remains low, according to MARD’s PlantCultivation Department.

The department in cooperation with MARD’s plant protection department hasimproved food safety and hygiene standards for export.

This year the rate of certified rice seeds accounts for 78 percent of theregion’s total sowed seeds.

The region has also used more specialty fragrant rice and high-quality ricevarieties, and most of the rice is now being planted and harvested withmachinery.

Le Quoc Doanh, Deputy Minister of MARD, said the southern region’s productionof key products like rice, fish and fruit achieved good results.

In the 2018-19 winter-spring crop, the southern region will grow 1.65 millionhectares of rice, including 1.57 million ha in the Mekong Delta.

MARD’s departments will give guidance to localities about planting schedules,disease control, and market demands. – VNS/VNA