Boost dry season rice yields, farmers urged

Boost dry season rice yields, farmers urged

With river levels receding rapidly, agricultural authorities believe farmers will struggle to grow healthy rice crops this dry season.

Farmers in some areas may decide to use their land to grow more productive crops that require less water than rice, so they can be sure of earning a reasonable income.

Last year, dry season rice was grown on 101,000 hectares, which was only 80 percent of government projections of 135,000 hectares, because some people chose to grow other crops.

The low rice price was a concern this year, and it will be a tough decision for some farmers to plant rice this dry season rather than switching to other crops they know they can sell.

However, authorities are currently building and repairing more than 3,000 irrigation projects in every province, to ensure sufficient water supplies for dry season rice.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry is encouraging farmers to plant about 140,000 hectares of rice and hoping for an average yield of four tonnes per hectare.

The provinces that lie on the seven large areas of flatland should lead the way in increasing crop yields, aiming for 3.8 million tonnes per hectare in 2013.

However, these priority areas should be able to yield at least five tonnes per hectare if modern farming techniques are employed and high-yielding rice varieties are planted, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Mr Vilayvanh Phomkhe said.

To achieve good yields, the authorities should encourage farmers to use the most efficient methods of cultivation, including machinery. This would help them to progress from traditional methods to modern industrial systems, he advised.

Provincial authorities, especially in the agriculture and forestry sector, need to set up agricultural stations where technicians can pass on their knowledge to others in the area.

The seven large areas of flatland cover almost 600,000 hectares of farmland in the central and southern provinces of Vientiane, Borikhamxay Khammuan, Savannakhet, Saravan, Champassak and Attapeu.

Mr Vilayvanh suggested that when authorities select priority areas, they should focus on areas with good irrigation and large amounts of farmland.

He directed the departments of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock and Fisheries to cooperate with each provincial Agriculture and Forestry Department to educate farmers.

This would include encouraging farmers to grow rice using new techniques, explaining how best to store rice seed and how to make compost and organic fertiliser.

Mr Vilayvanh also called on the agriculture and forestry authorities to work with the government and private sector to facilitate the import of seeds, livestock, fertilisers, animal feed, pesticides and other necessary agricultural inputs.

vientiane times