Authorities of the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho are making every effort
for a rice production of 1.45 million tonnes this year, up 8 percent
against the volume made a year earlier.
To reach the goal, they are striving for an output of 317,000 tonnes in the upcoming spring-winter crop.
According
to the municipal Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the
locality has planted over 61,800 ha in the crop, up 11,000 ha compared
to the same period last year. The acreage mainly concentrates in the
districts of Vinh Thanh, Co Do, and Thoi Lai with a total area of 40,000
ha, accounting for 65 percent of the rice area of the locality.
Pham
Van Quynh, director of the department said in these districts, 132
field embankments were reinforced and 56 km of internal ditches were
dredged to prevent flooding that could adversely affect rice production.
Water drainage systems in several districts were also reinforced for the purpose, he added.
In
addition, the municipal Department of Plant Protection has supplied
bio-pesticides to local farmers and directed them to use to protect the
environment and their paddies as well.
Can Tho considers rice production a key foreign currency earner ensuring a steady income for its farmers.
The
city has set to sell 1 million tonnes of rice abroad in 2014, up nearly
100,000 tonnes from last year, for earnings of over 516 million USD.
In 2013, it raked in nearly 500 million USD from rice export,
accounting for 30 percent of the city’s total export value of 1.5
billion USD.-VNA