Storm No. 9 is likely to cause widespread heavy rain in many northern provinces and cities. With the characteristics of vegetable production vulnerable to the risk of flooding, people and traders have proactively calculated harvesting plans to minimize damage.
Mr. Nguyen Van Be - a vegetable grower in Thuong Cat ward - said: "The green shoots only need a few days of heavy rain with rotten roots, yellow leaves, and almost white. If the storm makes landfall as expected, the short-term vegetable area will be severely affected, the market will certainly face a shortage of supply. Therefore, I proactively contacted traders to harvest early.
According to Mr. Be, the vegetables that have reached harvest time should be harvested before the storm to avoid being crushed and losing value; while the young vegetables should be kept, waiting for the soil to recover after the storm. "If the flood water is unfortunate, we will have to harvest urgently," Mr. Be added.
Mr. Be also emphasized that traders coming to the fields to buy help people feel more secure: " Farmers alone cannot afford to worry about transportation and consumption. Thanks to traders collecting goods, people focus on harvesting, considering it as sharing the risks together.
On the trader's side, Mr. Sang - a person who specializes in purchasing green vegetables to supply to traders in markets in Hanoi - shared: "We have been proactive in working with people since today. The principle is that the right vegetables are harvested immediately to maintain quality; young vegetables are harvested until the storm passes. But if it rains, we have to organize urgent purchases so as not to waste farmers' efforts."
Mr. Sang affirmed: "This flexibility helps both sides minimize risks. If there is heavy rain causing flooding and the drainage is not in time, the vegetables will spoil very quickly. If they do not cooperate, farmers will suffer losses, and traders will also lose supply. So we decided to share together to overcome this storm.
From another perspective, Mr. Pham Cao Tung - a trader specializing in purchasing agricultural products in Ho Chi Minh City - said that he has just received contacts from traders in Hanoi about the supply of vegetables.
"If they place an order, I can deliver the goods to Hanoi within 2-3 days. I supply 2030 tons per week. Vegetables will be collected at the fields in the afternoon, pre-processed and packaged in the evening. Refrigerated motorbikes will transport the goods, and after 2-3 days, the goods will arrive. Thus, if Hanoi lacks vegetables and goods from the South, it is possible to supplement them in a timely manner, without worrying about scarcity," said Mr. Tung.
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, at 1:00 p.m. on September 23, the center of super typhoon No. 9 was at about 20.3 degrees North latitude; 117.1 degrees East longitude, in the northeastern sea area of the North East Sea. The strongest wind near the storm center is level 16 (1817221 km/h), gusting over level 17. In the coming time, the storm will move in a West-Northwest direction at a speed of about 20 km/h.
It is forecasted that from the night of September 24 to the end of the night of September 26, the Northern region, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An will have heavy to very heavy rain, with common rainfall of 100250 mm, some places over 400 mm. People need to be on guard against heavy rain with high intensity causing flooding in urban areas, while at the same time there is a risk of flash floods on small rivers and streams and landslides in steep mountainous areas.
