According to the Cultivation Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, farmers in the Mekong Delta provinces of Dong Thap, Kien Giang, Hau Giang, and Can Tho have begun harvesting of more than 20,000 hectares of early autumn-winter rice crop.
The price of fresh paddy bought at the field is now at VND4,000-4,100 per kilo; and long-grain paddy at VND4,500-4,600 per kilo.
According to Huynh Thanh Kieu, a farmer in Vinh Thanh District in Can Tho City, at the current price level farmers can only profit by VND10-15 million per hectare. This has raised concerns as rice price tends to decline and inventory is forecast to climb in the near future when farmers harvest more rice.
Up to now, farmers in the Mekong Delta provinces have grown rice over 560,000 hectares out of 790,000 hectares, and will finish growing the rest by mid-September.
