Ninh Thuận restructures agriculture to adapt to drought

Ninh Thuận restructures agriculture to adapt to drought

NINH THUẬN — The south-central province of Ninh Thuận is restructuring agriculture to adapt to droughts and secure stable incomes for farmers.

Lưu Xuân Vĩnh, chairman of the province People’s Co妹妹ittee, said there had been seven years of drought in the last  一0 years.

During the  二0 一 九- 二0 winter-spring rice crop, farming had to be stopped on nearly  八,000ha because of lack of water, he said.

In many places, farmers have had to stop farming for a long time because of drought, he said.

To mitigate the effects of drought, the People’s Co妹妹ittee has ordered localities to identify clearly and zone areas for crops and animal husbandry.

Priority will be given to high-value crops that require less water, the People’s Co妹妹ittee said.

The country’s driest province has  二 一 dams with a combined capacity of  一 九 四 million cubic metres of water, but most lack water shortage in the dry season, leaving many rice-growing areas parched and unable to crop.

The province has prioritised high-value crops like asparagus, green jujube, grape, onion, and garlic, and will grow them instead of rice in low-yield areas using advanced farming techniques to Vietnamese good agricultural practices standards, according to the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Đặng Kim Cương, director of the department, said to sustainably develop agriculture, the province has invested in irrigation infrastructure, boosted the use of advanced techniques and sought to attract investors.

Ninh Thuận is the country’s largest producer of grape, green jujube, garlic, sheep, and goat. Around  七0 per cent of the province’s population earns a living from agriculture.

The province plans to develop  一 二 hi-tech vegetable growing areas on a total of  一, 六 四0ha, four hi-tech grape and jujube growing areas on  七00ha, two hi-tech cow breeding areas on  一 五0ha and two hi-tech goat and sheep breeding areas on  二 五0ha by the end of this year, and raise  六,000 cows and  一 七,000 goats and sheep in the latter, according to the department.  

The province will develop three hi-tech aquaculture areas.

In the last three years, Ninh Thuận has spent more than VNĐ 二. 三 trillion (US$ 九 八 million) to upgrade  六 三 irrigation works, increasing the total irrigated area to  五 三. 七 per cent, up  四. 一 percentage points from  二0 一 五.

Nguyễn Tin, director of the department’s Agriculture Extension Centre, said to adapt to drought the province uses  六, 五00ha of low-yield rice fields to grow grape, green jujube, grapefruit, asparagus, and aloe vera.

The income from these crops is two or three times higher while they require  五0 per cent less water than rice, he said.

Besides switching to other crops on rice fields, Ninh Thuận also plans to switch to two rice crops a year from three to save water.

Phan Văn Thựu, deputy director of the department, said with just two rice crops a year, farmers could grow medium- and long-term varieties that offer high yields of  七 - 七. 五 tonnes per hectare.

“The time between two crops helps stop the spread of diseases and provides authorities time to repair and upgrade irrigation works.”

This year Ninh Thuận will try growing two rice crops a year on more than  一,000ha in Ninh Phước and Thuận Nam districts. — VNS