Mekong Delta Region Reports Bumper Rice Crop
Farmers in the Mekong Delta have harvested most of the winter-spring rice crop they planted on 1.55 million hectares, getting an average yield of 6.5 tons a hectare, up 0.3 ton per hectare from last year’s crop.
Tan Hiep and U Minh Thuong Districts in Kien Giang province, Long Xuyen, Chau Phu District in An Giang Province, and Vinh Thanh and Thot Not Districts in Can Tho have seen higher outputs of seven to 11 tons.
Rice prices in the region are high, with traders paying VND4,200 to VND400,300 for a kilogram of IR50404, and VND4,300 to VND4,650 for higher quality rice. A kilogram of Jasmine rice costs VND4,800 to VND5,000.
In Can Tho City April 15, factories processing rice to export still buy rice with high price as in March.
Large rice exporters in Can Tho buy 1,000 to 3,500 tons a day.
The high output and prices have seen farmers make profits of 40 per cent to 50 per cent.
But in northern Vietnam around 40,000 hectares of paddy out of total cultivated 500,000 hectares are lacking water due to prolonged drought, with Hanoi, Phu Tho and Ninh Binh being hardest hit areas. (Sai Gon Liberation)
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