The prolonged cold wave in the central region has caused extensive damage and delayed vegetable and rice cultivation for the winter-spring crop this year.
Son Tinh District in Quang Ngai Province plans to cultivate 1,100 hectares of vegetables and fruits for the winter-spring crop this year. However, so far only 50 percent of the area has been cultivated because of prolonged cold weather conditions.
The entire vegetable area for cucumber, bitter melon and wax gourd grown especially during the Tet season has been completely devastated from both the cold and the heavy rain in Bau Tron Field in Dai Loc District of Quang Nam Province.
Hoa Phong Vegetable Production Cooperative in Hoa Vang District of Da Nang City is also facing such similar conditions.
Lam Tien Si, chairman of the People’s Committee of Hoa Phong Commune said that soon after farmers sowed 10 hectares of vegetables, cold wave and rain together destroyed the cultivated area.
Only 60 percent of the vegetable crop has so far been seeded in Tra Que Village in Hoi An town, one of the largest areas specializing in vegetable cultivation in Quang Nam Province. At this time, in previous years, this task would have been complete a good 15 days back.
Nguyen Van Viet, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in Ha Tinh Province, said that 16,000 of the 38,000 hectares of young rice have died from the cold, which has prevailed over the province for the last 37 days.
The province now has a shortfall of 300 tons of rice seed, to reseed the destroyed area.
Le Dinh Son, deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee has instructed district authorities to assist farmers to protect the remaining rice area from the bitter cold and reseed areas where necessary.
In related news, Hoang Kim Giao, head of the Livestock Breeding Department said that the cold weather has so far killed at least 138 cattle in the northern mountainous region. Bac Kan was the worst hit province with 70 cattle dead, followed by Yen Bai with 28 and Son La Province with 40 cattle dead.
