Fearing shortage of goods, traders have already deposited early rice as soon as it is in the field

New rice in the field has been deposited

Farmers in the Western provinces have now begun planting the winter-spring rice crop. According to records, although the situation is not as vibrant and competitive as the previous period, the situation of early rice planting still occurs.

In the early days of the crop, when the rice was not yet strong, traders proactively contacted Mr. Doan Van Banh (Thoi Lai district, Can Tho city) to stake rice early. Traders staked OM 5451 rice variety early at a price of 7,700 VND/kg.

According to Mr. Banh, the situation of early deposits for this rice crop is not as exciting as last year, with 2-3 rice brokers per day. Traders call to negotiate, although early deposits help him ease his worries about output, the recent wave of deposit cancellations has made him worry a lot.

"I'm afraid that if I accept the deposit early, the rice harvest will decrease and the price will be forced down, so I haven't agreed yet. If I agree to sign a purchase contract, I will think again, to avoid having to wait until the deposit is waived and not being able to react in time," said Mr. Banh.

These days, Mr. Bay Thi - a rice trader in Hau Giang province - has also contacted a number of farmers to make deposits in advance because of concerns about a lack of goods.

"The winter-spring rice crop after Tet is often affected by bad weather and drought and salinity, so rice output is affected. Then there is competition between traders, so we buy less. We set a deposit in advance to have a source of goods, but now it is not easy to set a deposit anymore, most farmers wait until harvest day to receive the goods," said Mr. Thi.

Proactively respond to bad weather

The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting predicts that from December 2024 to May 2025, the water level at the headwaters of the Mekong River will gradually decrease and will be 0.1 - 0.2 m lower than the average of many years. Given the above situation, saline intrusion in the Mekong Delta in 2024 - 2025 is forecasted to be higher than the average of many years.

In order to cope with the situation of saltwater intrusion, farmers in Hau Giang province have proactively chosen to sow standard rice varieties and certified rice varieties to enhance the resilience of rice plants. According to the plan, in the 2024-2025 winter-spring rice crop, Hau Giang province plans to sow 73,500 hectares, with an estimated yield of about 552,320 tons.

Farmers in Hau Giang province have now completed the first sowing phase, planting more than 15,000 hectares. This is an area with a closed dike and a complete drainage system, ensuring that it avoids the impact of high tides in the last months of the year or areas at risk of saltwater intrusion. The second and third sowing phases will be for the main winter-spring rice crop, low-lying areas where flood waters recede slowly every year, sowing must be done late.

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Can Tho City, for the 2024-2025 winter-spring rice crop, the city plans to plant 72,100 hectares. The first rice sowing schedule is expected to be from November 3 to 9 and the second sowing will be from November 25 to December 1. Farmers in the city will proactively monitor the weather, and when the flood waters recede, they will sow early to avoid drought and salinity next year.