Harvesting progress of waterlogged rice sluggish due to shortage of labor

According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ca Mau Province, there are about 14,000 hectares of summer-autumn rice in the area waiting for the harvest. Of these, the largest areas of summer-autumn rice are in Tran Van Thoi District with 13,260 hectares.
Flooded rice has to be cut by hand so the harvesting progress is very slow. (Photo: SGGP)
Flooded rice has to be cut by hand so the harvesting progress is very slow. (Photo: SGGP)
Prolonged heavy rains combined with high tide has flooded 20,980 hectares of rice, 3,800 hectares of aquatic products, and nearly 300 hectares of vegetables and other crops. Many roads were inundated and damaged, affecting the traveling of people.

At the lowland areas in Tran Van Thoi District, flooding has lasted for a long time, and the rice fell, so the combine harvester could not harvest rice. Meanwhile, the labor for cutting rice was scarce, so many rice fields were overripe without harvesters.

During recent days, police, soldiers, and border guards have helped farmers to harvest about 2,870 hectares of ripe summer-autumn rice submerged in water. Currently, these forces continue to help farmers to harvest rice.

In Bac Lieu Province, more than 20,000 hectares of rice were affected in varying degrees. Of which, more than 7,000 hectares of autumn-winter rice seedlings were lost. Currently, many areas of late summer-autumn rice are flooded, and rice has sprouted but still cannot be harvested.

According to the departments of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Mekong Delta provinces, although it has been sunny for the past few days, the progress of harvesting flooded rice farmers remains slow. Because the rice has fallen and submerged in water for a long time, so the combine harvester could not cut it. Meanwhile, there is a shortage of labor.

According to traders, the prolonged flooding situation affects much the quality of rice, so the prices of paddy have dropped sharply. Currently, traders buy paddy at a price, which is VND1,000-VND1,500 per kilogram lower than before. Many farmers said that they suffered heavy losses in this rice crop.

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