Tra Vinh (VNS/VNA) - Authorities in the Mekong Delta provinceof Tra Vinh have encouraged farmers to restructure their crop cultivation tomitigate the impact of drought and saltwater intrusion. 

The coastal province has been seriously affected by climate changein recent years, especially saltwater intrusion from the sea through rivermouths during the dry season. 

In the ongoing 2019- 20 dry season, saltwater intrusion hasoccurred earlier than usual and affected nearly 15,000ha of the province’s60,000ha of the winter-spring rice. 

In Tra Cu district, which is the hardest hit by saltwaterintrusion, about 55 per cent of the winter-spring rice has been affected bysaltwater intrusion. 

Huynh Van Thao, head of the Tra Cu Bureau of Agriculture andRural Development, said the district is assisting farmers to protect theirwinter-spring rice and restructure rice cultivation for the next crops.    

“Farmers have been encouraged to grow only earlywinter-spring rice and late autumn-winter rice next year,” he said. 

In the 2020 – 21 winter-spring rice, Tra Cu is encouragingfarmers to grow only 5,000ha of rice, down by 50 percent of against the 2019-20 winter-spring rice. The reduced areas will be used for other droughtresistant crops like peanut, chilli and taro. 

In Cau Ke district, authorities have called on farmers toturn ineffective rice fields to other high value crops like king orange, gac fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis), and sap coconut (a specialtycoconut variety that has soft and thick pulp). 

Pham Van Kha, deputy head of the Cau Ke Bureau of Agricultureand Rural Development, said the district had encouraged farmers to participatein co-operatives so they can produce on a large scale and access advancedfarming techniques. 

Farmers should use safe and organic standards, so they canlink with companies to guarantee outlets and improve income, he said. 
Rice farmers who switched to other crops in drought andsaltwater affected areas in recent years have 1.5 – 4 times higher profits thanfrom rice, according to the province’s Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment. 

Phạm Minh Truyen, director of the department, said theprovince planned to grow only 51,000ha of rice in the 2020 – 21 winter-springcrop, down 17,000ha against the 2019- 20 winter-spring crops. 

The 17,000ha would be switched to other crops, he said. 

The department in cooperation with localities was buildingplans for restructuring crops suited to each area, he said. 
The province plans to grow three rice crops a year in areaswhich can secure irrigation water. In areas affected by drought and saltwaterintrusion, farmers are encouraged to grow only two rice crops and one othercrop a year. 

The province is also researching market demand and seekingoutlets for farmers so they can restructure their crop cultivation properly. 

Farmers have turned about 19,000ha of ineffective rice fieldsto other crops under the province’s agricultural restructuring plan launched in2014. 

The province has many key agricultural products, including rice,vegetables, peanut, coconut and shrimp. 

Tra Vinh has carried out many agricultural extensionactivities to improve income for farmers in recent years. 

Last year, the province’s Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment organised 326 courses on techniques for growing crops, breedinganimals and aquatic species for nearly 10,000 farmers.  

The department gave instruction in effective farming modelsfor 700 farmers last year. 

In the 2020 - 22 period, the province plans to spend morethan VNĐ10 billion (US$423,000) for agricultural extension activities.  

The activities include providing farmers with advancedtechniques to grow vegetables in net houses with automatic irrigation systems,and grow clean fruits and organic coconuts; breed chicken by using medicinalplants in their food to reduce the use of antibiotics, breed female pigs forreproducing piglets, and oxen for meat; and breed shrimp under intensivefarming methods. 

Truyen, director of the department, said the research,transfer and application of advanced techniques aimed to improve yield andquality of agricultural products. 

It also ensured food safety, reduced production costs andincreased competitiveness and effectiveness of the province’s agriculturalrestructuring, he said./.