According to the People's Committee of Long Phu district (Soc Trang province), although it is recommended not to produce the 2024-2025 late winter-spring rice crop, up to now, farmers have spontaneously planted 333.29 hectares (mainly at the seedling and tillering stages). It is forecasted that farmers may plant more rice in the coming time and the possibility of local water shortages may occur.
Faced with this situation, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Long Phu district (Soc Trang province) requested the Heads of relevant district branches and People's Committees of communes and towns to coordinate with the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and mass organizations at the same level to strengthen propaganda, recommendations and mobilization for farmers not to produce late Winter-Spring rice crop 2024 - 2025 to minimize risks and losses in production.
Farmers are advised to plow and dry the land or switch to growing short-term crops that use less irrigation water for production.
For rice and vegetable areas that have been planted and fruit trees, salinity must be checked before water is pumped for irrigation. Cover crops with film and compost straw to reduce water loss; for fruit trees, store fresh water in ponds and garden ditches to pump for irrigation during prolonged periods of salinity intrusion.
According to the forecast of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the salinity in the area about 30 km from Tran De estuary to Hau River could reach 9 - 11‰ in March 2025. In fact, at the end of December 2024, a salinity wave occurred with the highest salinity measured at Cong Ba Xam (Long Phu district, Soc Trang province) at 4.1‰. It is forecasted that in the coming time, the frequency of saltwater will be thicker and the salinity concentration will be higher and will penetrate deeper into the inland irrigation system, causing great obstacles to the production process, especially for crops that use a lot of irrigation water.
In 2024, Soc Trang province will have about 600 hectares of late winter-spring rice damaged due to lack of irrigation water and the effects of drought and salinity, mainly concentrated in Tran De and Long Phu districts. This is the rice area that farmers sowed outside the plan, not following the recommendations of the agricultural sector.
