The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has urged farmers in north-central provinces to resume production to ease food shortages and provided them with seeds to sow new crops.

Photo: Internet

The provinces of Nghe An, Quang Binh and Ha Tinh suffered from successive devastating floods last month that damaged hectares of crops and swept away large amounts of livestock.

While the year-end rice crop does not start until the end of the month, the ministry's Department of Cultivation instructed farmers to grow short-term crops like vegetables or corn.

"Seeds are being sown wherever the floods have receded to ensure a supply of vegetable for human and animal consumption," said Nguyen Tri Ngoc, head of the department, noting that the latest rice crop would not be reaped until next April at the earliest.

"We've secured enough seed for the whole region," he added, "They're being delivered to every farmer."

The Government provided VND15 and 10 billion (US$700,000 and $500,000) to Quang Binh and Ha Tinh Provinces respectively to purchase seeds.

"If seed runs short, we will continue to petition the Government for more support," he said.

Floods have also affected cash crops such as rubber, tea and fruit, which need aid from the Government to ensure a full recovery.

In the meantime, the Ministry's Department of Animals Husbandry is concerned about the cost of restoring dilapidated livestock pens given that most farmers were left penniless after floods.

Furthermore, demand for calves will be higher in months running up to Tet, pushing up prices, said Hoang Kim Giao, head of the department.

"The transportation of cattle at the moment should be closely monitored to prevent the spread of epidemics," he said.

The Department of Animal Husbandry has asked provincial departments of Agriculture and Rural Development to estimate cattle losses.

"We will supply calves to them depending on the level of losses," he added.

As for animal feed, Giao asked the provinces to balance supplies of straw, grass and vegetables between themselves.

"We are planning to transport feed from other provinces to flooded areas," he said.

The Ministry's Department of Aquaculture also supplied fish fry and shrimp to farmers for free, according to its deputy head Chu Tien Vinh.

"We are also providing adult fishes for farmers for breeding, in an effort to help them restore their ponds" he said.

Nghe An Province is encouraging farmers to intensively grow corn on dead rice paddy fields to secure food for cattle, said Nguyen Van Lap, deputy director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

"Timing is very important," he said, "We should choose corn crops with short life cycles so as not to delay the spring rice crop next year".

Elsewhere, Quang Binh Province's Le Thuy District was encouraging farmers on higher ground unaffected by the floods to grow more vegetables to ensure food supply for flood victims during the last months of the year.

Source: VNS