Summer-autumn crop 2025: Farmers face double challenges

Typically, at the Dong Duong Agricultural Service Production Cooperative (My Thuy commune), the entire 220 hectares of rice had to be replanted due to the impact of storm No. 1, causing the crop schedule to be delayed. When the rice was only 80 days old, with the forecast of upcoming unfavorable weather, the Cooperative decided to harvest early according to the motto "green at home is better than old in the field" to minimize losses for members.

Talking to us, Mr. Phan Van Quang, Director of the Cooperative, could not hide his worries: "This year's rice yield is only 58 quintals/ha. The reason is that we have to harvest early when the rice is only about 80% ripe to avoid bad weather, causing many grains to not be full. In addition, the small leaf roller has broken out strongly, forcing people to spray pesticides many times to control it."

Farmers take advantage of favorable weather to harvest rice - Photo. TH

Concerns also come with the falling rice prices. Mr. Quang added that while in the summer-autumn crop of 2024, dry rice cost 9,500 VND/kg, this year, traders only pay 6,200 VND/kg for rice dried in the sun twice, while fresh rice in the field costs only 4,800 VND/kg. Faced with such low prices, many farmers have had to dry their rice, accepting "labor for profit" and waiting for prices to rise.

In Truong Ninh commune, the 2025 summer-autumn rice crop area is 1,669 hectares. Due to the impact of storm No. 1, 398 hectares were not re-sown due to prolonged flooding, beyond the crop schedule, the remaining area is 1,271 hectares. Up to now, localities have harvested over 1,000 hectares, more than 250 hectares have not been harvested, the estimated yield is 54.3 quintals/hectare, the output is over 6,900 tons.

Director of Van Phuc Agricultural Production and Service Cooperative, Tay village, Truong Ninh commune, Ngo Dinh Thanh said: This summer-autumn crop, the Cooperative planted 166 hectares of HN6 rice and has finished harvesting. Although the yield was only 48 quintals/hectare due to unfavorable weather, late harvest and pests, thanks to the selection of high-quality rice varieties that produce delicious rice, the Cooperative still sold at good prices. The price of fresh rice in the field reached 8,000 VND/kg and dried rice reached 10,000 VND/kg.

According to data compiled by the provincial Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection, up to now, the whole province has harvested 90% of the rice area. Localities that are still harvesting include: Dien Sanh, Vinh Dinh, Nam Hai Lang, Truong Ninh... The average yield is estimated at about 55 quintals/ha. The prices of popular fresh rice varieties such as Khang Dan, VN20 are bought at the field at a low level of 4,800-5,700 VND/kg. Rice from product consumption linkage models has a higher selling price, with commercial rice from 6,000-6,500 VND/kg and organic rice 13,000 VND/kg.

Head of the Department of Crop Production and Plant Protection Bui Phuoc Trang said: In the 2025 summer-autumn crop, the whole province planted over 38,932 hectares, of which the area of high-quality rice was over 31,000 hectares. Farmers in localities in the province produced over 9,000 hectares of large-field rice, over 674 hectares of commercial rice, and over 1,278 hectares of rice linked to production and product consumption.

In order to limit damage, the Department of Agriculture and Environment has issued a document requesting localities to direct, guide and encourage farmers to mobilize human resources and means to quickly harvest rice and other summer-autumn crops with the motto "green at home is better than ripe in the fields". Currently entering the rainy season, localities need to take advantage of favorable weather to quickly harvest, ending the crop season no later than September 30, 2025.

Thanh Hoa

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/kinh-te/202509/vu-he-thu-nam-2025-nong-dan-doi-mat-thach-thuc-kep-d025596/