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| Tens of thousands of hectares of rice in Mỹ Đức District, Hà Nội, are flooded and flattened due to the impact of Typhoon Yagi. VNA/VNS Photo |
HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has called on businesses and associations to join efforts in providing support and resources for the swift recovery of crop production, following Typhoon Yagi and the subsequent flooding and landslides.
Speaking at the ministry’s workshop on supporting crop production recovery after the disasters in the northern region, Deputy Minister Hoàng Trung emphasised the urgent need for rice seeds, estimating a requirement of around 15,000 tonnes.
The national reserve holds only about 4,100 tonnes. The demand for vegetable seeds is over 100 tonnes, while only 150 kg remain in storage. For corn, over 1,000 tonnes are needed, but the reserve holds just 257 tonnes.
The ministry estimated that the recent storm and floods have caused approximately VNĐ4 trillion in damage to crops.
As of Wednesday morning, 312,000 hectares of cultivated land were flooded or flattened, with an estimated 100,000 hectares completely lost. Additionally, 3,763 aquaculture cages were damaged, or washed away and 22,514 livestock and over three million poultry died.
More than 200,000 hectares of rice fields were submerged, 50,612 hectares of vegetables were flooded and 38,104 hectares of fruit trees were damaged.
Local organisations are still collecting data for a more precise assessment.
The ministry swiftly convened meetings to direct recovery efforts across livestock, aquaculture, crop production and forestry sectors, providing technical guidance to salvage as much of the affected areas as possible. Emergency drainage measures have also been implemented.
Speaking at the meeting on Wednesday, Deputy Director of the ministry’s Department of Crop Production Nguyễn Thị Thu Hương noted that in addition to seed support, farmers urgently need assistance with agricultural input materials.
Regarding post-storm recovery, Hương advised that for rice production, fields should be cleaned and water drained to prepare for early winter planting. For vegetable crops, local authorities should promptly inspect and drain the water, clean fields and prepare the soil and seeds for replanting.
Priority should be given to leafy greens, short-cycle vegetables and water-tolerant crops to supply the market during the harvest transition.
In response to the demand for seedlings, the Department of Crop Production has sent requests to associations, businesses and universities to prepare agricultural seeds for production in northern localities. The department also urged seed producers not to raise prices during this period to help ease the difficulties faced by farmers in the disaster-stricken regions.
As of 11am on Wednesday, 18 businesses and associations had contributed seeds, fertilisers, agricultural materials and cash, totalling VNĐ15.2 billion ($616,190). — VNS
