Farmers in Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province are struggling with falling fruit outputs and incomes due to prolonged heat waves and lack of water. — VNA/VNS Photo Hoàng Nhị

BÀ RỊA - VŨNG TÀU — Fruit orchards in southern provinces such as Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu and Đồng Nai have alarmingly low yields due to a lack of irrigation water caused by heat waves and dry weather.

In Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu, many have seen output fall by 50-60 percent from last year.

Võ Thạch Cao, a farmer in Châu Đức District’s Xà Bang Commune, said his avocado farm only yielded 150 tonnes this year, half of last year’s harvest, since hot weather and late-night frost dried out flowers, making it hard for them to pollinate.

After investing over VNĐ1.5 billion (about US$59,000) in this seven-hectare orchard, his family faces a financial struggle.

Ngô Thị Tâm’s mangosteen crop in Bàu Sen Village has been facing the same problem, with output expected to fall by 10 tonnes from last year to just seven tonnes.

Because of the unusually high temperature and lack of water, the mangosteen trees produced fewer flowers fewer times, she said.

Mangosteen prices are not as high as usual, and Tâm is struggling to support her family.

In Sơn Bình Commune’s Sơn Lập Village, young durian fruits in Ngô Xuân Diệu’s farm have fallen from the trees due to the unusually hot weather.

“Since I have invested over VNĐ100 million into this crop, this is not a good sign. Unless the temperature drops, this will continue to occur.”

To address the problems, the Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu authorities have urged its farmers adopt mist and scattered watering systems to save water.

Farmers should also avoid watering their crops in the middle of the day when the heat is at its peak and provide the right amount of fertilisers during pollination, it has said.

The province has 14,200ha of fruit farms, but they are scattered and small and it lacks a structured plan for them.

This explains why many of the local fruits are not branded and farmers rely solely on traders.

Besides, since fruit prices have yet to see an increase this summer, farmers are selling their produce at very unstable prices.

The province’s orchards have gradually expanded over the years and grow a variety of high-value fruits such as durian, avocado, pomelo, and banana.

But only a few have production linked with consumption.

The province has 37 coded farming areas that mostly grow banana, durian, pomelo, dragon fruit, and longan on a total of 919.3ha, and three coded packaging facilities.

To add value, it has initiated innovative farming methods such as organic, VietGAP and GlobalGAP, and encouraged farmers to register for codes to ensure exports.

Fruit farms in Đồng Nai Province have been applying water-efficient irrigation systems amid the extremely hot weather. — Photo dongnai.gov.vn

​In Đồng Nai Province’s Cẩm Mỹ District, severe hot weather and lack of freshwater have caused an unusual number of leaves to turn yellow and young fruits to fall.

Farmers have to constantly use water pumps, but they are not enough due to the prolonged dry and extreme weather, Trần Văn Hùng, owner of a pepper farm in Lâm San village, said.

Outputs of summer fruits such as mango, durian and rambutan have dropped significantly due to the prolonged hot and sunny weather, according to the Xuân Lộc District's agricultural department.

Most farms rely on water from wells but it could run out during the dry season, Nguyễn Ngọc Luân, director of the Lâm San Agricultural Cooperative, said.

A more sustainable solution is to preserve and use groundwater smartly, he said.

It is also important to invest in irrigation and adopt drip irrigation, he said.

Local farmers have proactively saved water by having ponds with rooftops to avoid evaporation, and applied smart watering methods.

Trần Lâm Sinh, deputy director of the province's Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said Đồng Nai has adopted smart watering plans, designed farm structures that require less water, selected seeds that grow well in dry weather, and used water-efficient irrigation systems.

It has recently expanded those irrigation systems to over 60,000ha, or 31 per cent of the total farming area.

It also has 139 irrigation projects that water nearly 64,000ha. — VNS