Bumper winter-spring harvest, farmers actively collect rice straw

These days, the atmosphere across the rice fields of Hue is bustling and urgent. Bags of golden grain are being loaded onto vehicles amidst the joy of local farmers. According to the growers, everyone is thrilled as this season has yielded a bumper crop.

At the Tay Toan Agricultural Cooperative (Kim Tra Ward), multiple combine harvesters have been operating at full capacity since early morning to take advantage of the dry weather and harvest the ripened rice in time.

"My family just harvested the J02 rice variety, with an estimated yield of 350kg/ sao (approximately 500m2). We are very happy because of the bountiful harvest this year," shared Mr. Tran Huu Khanh, a resident of Giap Tay neighborhood.

Ms. Tran Thi Kieu Loan, Director of Tay Toan Agricultural Cooperative, said that this season the cooperative cultivated 272 hectares of rice, focusing on key varieties such as J02, HT1, Khang Dan, and HG12. As of May 11, more than 90% of the area had been harvested.

“The cooperative mobilized all six production teams from six residential areas to accelerate the harvest. In addition, we also deployed two straw baling machines. This year’s rice crop has been very successful, with estimated yields reaching 7.2 tons per hectare,” Ms. Loan said.

In Phu Bai Ward, during the 2025-2026 winter-spring crop, more than 640 hectares were cultivated with key rice varieties including J02, HG244, HT1, and DT100. Cooperatives in the area mobilized 12 combine harvesters, and to date, harvesting has been completed on 100% of the area, with estimated yields of around 7.2 tons per hectare.

Mr. Le Ba Minh Hai, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Phu Bai Ward, said the locality had proactively developed production plans from the beginning of the season, while coordinating with cooperatives to guide farmers in applying technical measures for crop care and pest control. As a result, rice plants developed well, major pest outbreaks were limited, and yields exceeded those of the same period last year.

“The local authorities have instructed cooperatives and farmers to proactively arrange product consumption plans, clean up the fields, and avoid burning straw after harvest in order to protect the environment and reduce air pollution. At the same time, preparations are being made for the summer-autumn crop to further improve production efficiency,” Mr. Hai shared.

Farmers in Hue are also actively promoting mechanized straw collection to make full use of agricultural by-products, improve economic efficiency, and protect the environment.

In Hoa Chau Ward, the sight of straw-baling machines operating continuously has become increasingly familiar. According to local residents, on average, each machine can process around 5 hectares of rice fields per day, producing nearly 700 straw bales with the participation of about five workers. As a result, straw is collected quickly and efficiently, saving time as each sao of land takes only around 10 minutes to complete. The baled straw is then sold steadily for straw mushroom cultivation. Each bale, weighing between 15 and 20 kilograms, is priced at VND 13,000-20,000.

Mr. Tran Xuan Duc, a local resident operating a straw-baling model for mushroom cultivation in An Lai residential area, Hoa Chau Ward, said that one straw bale can produce 2-3 kilograms of mushrooms. The mushrooms are sold at an average price of VND 70,000-80,000 per kilogram, and prices can even exceed VND 100,000 per kilogram during full moon occasions.

According to Hue Sub-Department of Plant Production and Protection, during the 2025-2026 winter-spring crop, the city cultivated 27,587 hectares of rice across 40 communes and wards. As of May 11, more than 25,800 hectares, equivalent to 93% of the total area, had been harvested, with an average yield of 6.7 tons per hectare.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Truong, Head of the Hue Sub-Department of Plant Production and Protection, said that since the beginning of the year, the city’s agricultural sector has regularly urged commune and ward authorities, cooperatives, and farmers to focus on implementing crop care measures for the winter-spring season, closely monitor weather conditions, proactively secure water sources, and stay attentive to field conditions in order to promptly detect and control pests and diseases. Thanks to these efforts, farmers are delighted with this season’s bumper harvest, which also creates momentum for the upcoming summer-autumn crop.

“Localities are now accelerating the rice harvest to take advantage of favorable weather conditions and minimize losses caused by unseasonal storms and rain. Alongside harvesting, the agricultural sector of Hue is advising farmers to clean up their fields and properly handle straw residues, while discouraging open-field burning in order to protect the environment and improve soil quality,” Mr. Truong said.

According to Mr. Le Van Anh, Deputy Director of the Hue Department of Agriculture and Environment, the winter-spring crop is the main production season of the year, playing a crucial role in ensuring food security and increasing farmers’ incomes. Following the harvest, local authorities will continue guiding farmers in field sanitation and preparing the necessary conditions for the timely implementation of the summer-autumn crop season.

“The agricultural sector encourages cooperatives and farmers to continue expanding the cultivation of high-quality rice varieties, applying mechanization, and strengthening product consumption linkages in order to enhance economic value and move toward sustainable agricultural production,” Mr. Anh emphasized.

$ 1 = VND 26,379 - Source: Vietcombank.