(VAN) Ha Tinh witnesses rice prices reaching their peak in recent years in the 2024 summer-autumn crop. Farmers in the fields are unable to hide their excitement.

A bountiful harvest with a peak price rate

Taking advantage of favorable weather, farmers in Ha Tinh are rushing to the fields these days to harvest summer-autumn rice. The sound of harvesters bustling in the fields along with the joy of a good harvest and good prices seem to have erased the fatigue on the farmers' faces.

From early morning, the bustling atmosphere of rice harvesting has spread throughout the fields of Can Loc district. In this year’s summer-autumn crop, Tran Xuan Long's family in Phuc Tan village, Kim Song Truong commune (Can Loc, Ha Tinh) produced 8 sao of DT39 rice (Vietnamese measurement, 1 sao = 500 m2).

“Despite facing many difficulties at the beginning of the season because of severe drought, we still have a good harvest. My family’s entire DT39 rice area is produced organically,  so the average fresh rice yield is 350 kg/sao. After harvesting, we transport rice to the purchasing facility in the commune and sell it at VND 7,000/kg. Since the selling price is high, we are on cloud nine. As soon as we harvest, we sell everything,” said Long.

According to Nguyen Thi Ly, Head of Phuc Tan village, In this summer-autumn crop, the village produces more than 50 ha of rice in total, over 80% of which is sticky rice, the rest are other rice varieties such as Bac Thom and DT39. This year, the rice yield here reaches 350 - 400 kg/sao. When the news came out that the rice price was higher than in previous years, local farmers were excited.

In other key rice producing communes of Can Loc district such as Khanh Vinh Yen, Vuong Loc, and Xuan Loc, households are mobilizing human and material resources to harvest rice with haste. Up to now, the whole district has harvested nearly 2,000 ha.

"My family has now harvested more than 6 sao of sticky rice. The price of fresh sticky rice is at its peak in many years, so my family has sold a large quantity to traders early instead of drying it at home," said Thai Van Nghia in Van Cuu village, Khanh Vinh Yen commune (Can Loc district).

Quick harvesting to avoid storms

Khanh Vinh Yen commune produces over 870 ha of rice this summer-autumn crop, with sticky rice occupying over 60% of the planted area. During the peak harvest period, the whole commune has over 10 gathering points to purchase fresh rice and sticky rice from farmers. After each day, wholesalers will collect the goods and ship them to big owners in the North.

Nguyen Doan Hiep, a rice purchasing agent in Chien Thang village (Khanh Vinh Yen commune), reveals that the facility purchases approximately 40 tons of rice per day. “We are focusing on collecting goods from all villages and selling them to major buyers in Thanh Hoa province".

“In the 2024 summer-autumn crop, my family produces more than 5 sao of Khang Dan 18 rice with a yield of 350 kg/sao, higher than in previous years. Traders are currently buying fresh rice at a fairly high price of VND 6,700/kg, nearly VND 1,000/kg higher than last year, so I sell the harvest right at the field. With 5 sao of rice, my family earns nearly VND 12 million. After deducting the production cost, which occupies 1/3 of the total spending, my family still made a profit of nearly VND 8 million,” said Nguyen Thi Hoa in Village 3, Cam Quang commune (Cam Xuyen district).

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Cam Xuyen district states that in the 2024 summer-autumn crop, the district cultivates over 9,000 ha of rice. The group of easy-to-sell commercial rice varieties accounts for more than 80% of the total area. According to initial assessments, Cam Xuyen is the locality with the highest summer-autumn rice yield in the province. This rice crop also set a peak in the district's summer-autumn rice yield so far. The current selling price of fresh rice in the district is high, ranging from VND 6,500 to 6,800/kg, VND 500 - 1,000/kg higher than last year.

In the 2024 summer-autumn crop, Ha Tinh produces nearly 45,000 ha of rice, mainly using varieties with a short growing period of 100 - 110 days, ensuring avoidance of natural disasters at the end of the crop, including Khang Dan 18, Khang Dan Mut Mut, Bac Thinh, BT09, Nep 98, Nep 87, Thien Uu 8, BQ, HT1, PC6, TH3-3, TH3-5, and Xuan Mai. Up to this point, localities have harvested more than 30% of the area, with an estimated average yield of over 5,158 kg/ha, 142 kg/ha higher than the 2023 summer-autumn crop.

Vo Trong Hai, Chairman of the People's Committee of Ha Tinh province, calls for the agricultural sector and local authorities to proactively monitor weather developments, direct farmers to mobilize maximum human and machinery resources to speed up the progress and complete the harvest before September 5 to minimize the risk of damage caused by storms and rains. Localities should also strengthen connections with businesses to help farmers sell rice.