Ha Tinh: Summer–autumn crop faces severe drought risk

Water shortage pressure

According to the Ha Tinh Hydrometeorological Station, the ENSO phenomenon is expected to gradually shift to El Nino conditions from July 2026, bringing prolonged heatwaves and reduced rainfall, increasing the risk of severe drought for the summer–autumn crop.

“This year, the heat has arrived much earlier than average. Since early April, temperature records and the duration of heat have already been broken. However, the most intense heat is expected in June and July. The average temperature across the province may be 1–1.5°C higher than usual, directly affecting crop growth and development, especially rice during the flowering stage.

Rainfall from June to mid-September is also forecast to be significantly lower than the multi-year average, unevenly distributed and mostly light, localized showers, further increasing the risk of irrigation water shortages throughout the production period,” warned Mr. Tran Duc Ba, Director of the Ha Tinh Hydrometeorological Station.

For the 2026 summer–autumn season, Ha Tinh aims to cultivate more than 54,000 hectares, of which over 45,000 hectares are rice. The province directs localities to use rice varieties with growth durations under 110 days, stable performance over the years, high yield, and good marketability, including Nep 98, Nep 87, Nep 97, Khang Dan mutant, Khang Dan 18, Xuan Mai, Bac Thinh, BT09, TBR97, BQ, etc. Sowing is targeted to be completed before June 5 so that rice will flower between July 30 and August 5, with harvest completed before September 5.

In areas such as Duc Minh, Duc Quang (outside the La Giang dyke), Tu My (lower Huong Son), Bac Hong Linh, Nghi Xuan, short-duration varieties under 95 days must be used to avoid late-season flooding.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hai, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Ha Tinh, noted that the 2026 summer–autumn crop will face more challenges than recent years. In addition to rising input costs (seeds, fertilizers) and mechanization service costs (land preparation, harvesting), rainfall from June to mid-September is expected to remain low, while water levels in major reservoirs are below design capacity and lower than the same period in previous years, increasing the risk of drought and water shortages, especially in upland and tail-end canal areas.

Diverse solutions

At an online conference on April 23 to implement the 2026 summer–autumn production and drought prevention plan, Mr. Ho Huy Thanh, Vice Chairman of the Ha Tinh People’s Committee, emphasized: “The agriculture sector, local authorities, and farmers must shift from production based on plans to adaptive, safe, and efficient production.”

He called for maximizing technical solutions to reduce emissions in crop production: leveling fields for better water management; using high-quality certified seeds (targeting over 15% of total area); applying mechanization in sowing and care (machine transplanting, fertilizing, and spraying using drones); managing water with alternate wetting and drying (AWD); applying fertilizers appropriately under the principle of “more at the beginning, less at the end”; encouraging organic and microbial fertilizers; balanced fertilization according to crop, soil, and season needs; avoiding excessive nitrogen use; and implementing integrated pest management (IPM). The province aims to expand low-emission rice cultivation to 8,700 hectares in the 2026 summer–autumn crop.

For more than 23,800 hectares across 766 zones identified for high-yield, high-quality rice production in 56 communes and wards, synchronized solutions must be applied to develop concentrated production areas and large-scale fields under the model “one field – one variety – one season – one uniform product,” attracting enterprises to purchase fresh rice directly in the field and linking with processors through contracts to ensure balanced benefits between businesses and farmers.

“For drought prevention, it is essential to review, assess, and balance actual water sources in reservoirs, rivers, and streams in each area to regulate water reasonably and save from the beginning of the season, minimizing yield losses due to drought,” Mr. Ho Huy Thanh stressed.

Mr. Le Ngoc Ha, Chairman of Cam Hung Commune People’s Committee, said that to ensure effective production, localities should organize workshops to evaluate the spring crop as a basis for scaling up effective models and suitable rice varieties. Cam Hung has registered with the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment to organize a workshop to evaluate tray-seedling and machine-transplanting models associated with the SRI process in Tien Thang village, former Cam Ha commune.

This summer–autumn season, Ha Tinh plans to expand advanced technical models (tray seedlings, machine transplanting, mechanization in land preparation, fertilization, spraying, harvesting, and AWD irrigation) to 205 hectares across 14 communes and wards.