A large scale rice field in Kiên Giang Province’s Giang Thành District. – VNA/VNS Photo Hồng Đạt

KIÊN GIANG – Kiên Giang Province has developed more large-scale rice fields that have linkages with companies to guarantee sales for farmers.

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province has planted 1,334 large-scale rice fields with a total area of 167,225ha so far this year, up 641 fields from last year.

Of the 1,334 fields, 1,026 with a combined area of 120,696ha are planted under the linkages between farmers and companies.

In the summer-autumn rice season, Kiên Giang, which is the country’s largest rice producer, has grown 544 large-scale rice fields with a combined area of 76,390ha, according to the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

It also has 300 rice growing areas with a combined area of more than 6,000ha which have been granted production codes for exporting to the EU, Japan and other markets.

In the summer-autumn rice season, the province has harvested more than 237,630ha, or more than 85 per cent of the total growing area.

Nguyễn Văn Bé in Gò Quao District’s Thuỷ Liễu Commune said he has completed harvests of 2.6ha of in the summer-autumn rice season.

He grew two high quality varieties, Đài Thơm 8 and ST24, which traders have bought at high prices this year.

“After deducting production cost, I estimated to get a profit of VNĐ1.7 million (US$70) per 1,000 sq.m, about VNĐ600,000 ($25) higher than the summer-autumn rice season of last year,” he said.

Lê Hữu Toàn, deputy director of the department, said agricultural production is forecasted to face difficulties and challenges in the last months of this year because of complicated weather.

Low pressure, storms, hot weather, drought and irrigation water shortages may occur and affect agricultural production, he said.

Besides spreading high-quality farming techniques, the department has instructed relevant localities and agencies to operate sluices properly to prevent possible flooding, drought and salt water intrusion.

The department’s Irrigation Sub-department is operating the Cái Lớn – Cái Bé irrigation system, the largest of its kind in the delta to serve agricultural production.

The system provides irrigation water for 280,000ha of farm land in Kiên Giang and the delta’s Hậu Giang, Cà Mau and Bạc Liêu provinces.

Kiên Giang has grown a total of 712,000ha of rice and aims to harvest more than 4.4 million tonnes this year, according to the department. – VNS