According to the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Son La province, in the last 2 floods, the whole province suffered more than 1,710 hectares of damage to crops. Of which, the damaged rice area was 1,053 hectares, annual crops were 506 hectares, perennial crops were 153 hectares.
Many localities are heavily affected in terms of irrigation infrastructure and inland traffic routes. Some typical works that were completely swept away are in Muong Lan, Sop Cop, Song Ma, Chieng So, Huoi Mot...
The water channel system for production in many communes has been eroded and blocked, making it difficult to bring water into the fields. Some domestic roads were buried by rocks and soil, making it difficult for mechanical vehicles to access, greatly affecting the production recovery progress.
In recent days, despite erratic sunny and rainy weather, people in Sop Cop commune have still gone to the fields early, dredged mud, and renovated the fields.
Mr. Lo Van Thanh (Muong Va village, Sop Cop commune) said that after the flood, the fields were buried by rocks and soil, and could not be repaired by hand, so his family had to rent excavators to re-work the fields in time to plant. If it is delayed, this crop will be considered abandoned.
"Immediately after the water receded, my family was trying to fix it to replant, but it was only partially fixed" - Mr. Thanh shared.
According to the People's Committee of Sop Cop commune, the locality had 235 hectares of rice damaged, 4 irrigation works damaged, total damage of more than 3.6 billion VND. Up to now, the commune has restored and planted about 80 hectares, the remaining area is still being repaired by the people.
In Muong Lan commune, the green rice fields that were once good now have only a few patches of land. More than 150 hectares of rice were buried and washed away by mud, over 90% of the area could not be restored immediately.
The family of Mr. Ha Van Khiem (Muong Lan village) has more than 2,000m2 of lost white rice. "In the coming time, food will be very difficult, we really hope to receive support for rice seeds and machinery to restore the fields" - Mr. Khiem shared.
Not only has the crop failed, many households have also suffered damage to perennial crops such as mango, longan, banana... due to landslides and uprooted tree roots. Some newly planted fruit trees that had not yet been harvested were also swept away by floodwaters.
In Chieng So commune, the fields after the flood are only covered with mud and flat rocks. Ms. Luong Thi Thinh (Cong village) shared that despite the difficulties, we still have to replant, hoping that the late harvest will still be enough to eat.
Ms. Cam Thi Phong - Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Son La province - said that the department is coordinating with communes to review and specifically count the damage to agriculture and irrigation to propose support solutions. The immediate goal is to support the restoration of fields, ditches and rice varieties.
"We also call on agencies, companies, and enterprises inside and outside the province to support farmers in areas with damaged funding, materials, and products to improve flooded, landslide, and provide quality plant varieties to restore production in the coming time" - Ms. Phong said.
In recent days, the Army, Police, and youth union members have also actively supported people in leveling fields, building banks, and plowing. Enterprises mobilize excavators, especially in complex terrain, to help people sow in time.
The fields that were thought to have been lost under the floodwaters are now gradually reviving. In the fields, the sound of tractors and excavators is mixed with the sound of laughter, creating an urgent working atmosphere. With the spirit of "not leaving fields fallow", people in flooded areas in Son La are busy with fields, hoping for a bumper crop.
