Mekong Delta proactively adapts for successful crop production

Positive results alongside persistent challenges

On May 6, in Dong Thap, the Plant Production and Protection Department (PPPD) coordinated with the Dong Thap Department of Agriculture and Environment to organize a conference on "Reviewing Crop Production in the 2025-2026 Winter-Spring Season and Introducing Production Plans for Remaining Crop Seasons in 2026 in the Mekong Delta and Southeast Region."

According to the PPPD, annual crop production in the Mekong Delta and Southeast regions achieved positive results in the 2025-2026 winter-spring season. Total cultivated area reached over 1.56 million ha, with an average yield of 7.25 tons/ha, up 0.107 tons/ha from the same period last year. Total output is estimated at more than 11.32 million tons, slightly down due to reduced cultivated area.

In the Mekong Delta, the cultivated area decreased by more than 26,000 ha, but yield increased by 0.117 tons/ha, reflecting the effectiveness of applying technical advances and adjusting cropping calendars. Meanwhile, the Southeast region maintained a stable area, with higher yields and an output increase of over 16,000 tons.

According to the plan, the 2026 summer-autumn crop in the Mekong Delta is expected to cover approximately 1.204 million ha, with sowing concentrated from March to June depending on each locality. The autumn-winter crop is projected at around 639,000 ha, to be arranged in line with conditions such as deep flooding, shallow flooding, and coastal areas.

Key technical solutions include the use of high-quality rice varieties aligned with market demand; adoption of advanced production processes and smart agriculture; strengthening integrated pest management; and the safe, effective use of pesticides. At the same time, mechanization and digital transformation in production will be further promoted.

For fruit trees and industrial crops, it is necessary to properly plan growing zones and improve product quality to meet the increasingly stringent requirements of international markets, particularly regarding food safety and traceability.

Pest forecasting and monitoring have also been identified as key tasks. The PPD will coordinate with localities to conduct field inspections and promptly introduce effective control measures to minimize damage.

According to Mr. Le Chi Thien, Deputy Director of the Dong Thap Department of Agriculture and Environment, the 2025-2026 winter-spring crop season recorded many positive results, with stable area and yields. Localities proactively managed cropping schedules, effectively controlled pests and diseases, and promoted the application of technical advances, mechanization, and safe, high-quality production practices. Notably, the proportion of high-quality rice varieties increased, contributing to improving production efficiency.

However, production continues to face multiple challenges. Weather conditions have become increasingly unpredictable, and input costs have risen due to international market impacts, while rice procurement prices have at times declined, affecting farmers' profits. In addition, requirements for quality, food safety, and traceability are becoming more stringent, while production remains fragmented and value chain linkages are not yet sustainable.

In response, Dong Thap has identified priorities including accelerating the restructuring of the crop production sector, expanding high-quality, low-emission rice models, strengthening production and consumption linkages, and promoting the application of science, technology, and digital transformation.

Proactive solutions for the remaining 2026 crop seasons

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Manh, Deputy Director General of the PPPD, said that the Department will gradually establish mechanisms to organize conferences by crop cycle and management level, ensuring fast and accurate two-way information exchange, thereby enhancing the quality of production management in the new context.

Overall, the 2025-2026 winter-spring crop season achieved positive results, with rice continuing to play a key role as a strategic commodity. Locales proactively adjusted cropping calendars and adopted technological advances, thereby enhancing yields and quality. Pest prevention and control was effectively implemented, preventing major outbreaks. However, production still faces challenges such as complex weather patterns, increasing risks of drought and saltwater intrusion, rising input costs, volatility in rice markets, and unevenly organized production and consumption linkages across localities.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Manh urged localities to focus on implementing key tasks and solutions in a coordinated manner. These include closely adhering to cropping calendars and flexibly adjusting them for each sub-region, with particular attention to measures to avoid drought, saltwater intrusion, brown planthopper outbreaks, and late-season storms. At the same time, promoting the application of technical advances to reduce input costs and improve production efficiency.

Localities are required to develop and implement production plans for the remaining rice crops in 2026 to ensure output and growth rate for the year. Proactively develop scenarios to respond to drought and saltwater intrusion at different levels, strengthen water-saving irrigation measures, use suitable varieties, and accordingly adjust cropping structures. At the same time, pest forecasting and monitoring must be enhanced, with timely and effective control measures, alongside guidance on the safe and efficient use of pesticides.

Regarding production organization, it is necessary to strengthen value chain linkages, align production with market demand, enhance management of planting area codes and packing facilities, and encourage production in line with export standards. Localities should closely monitor market developments and proactively coordinate with enterprises and cooperatives to connect supply with consumption. In particular, greater emphasis should be placed on information and forecasting systems to ensure timely and accurate updates on weather conditions, water resources, pests, and production progress, serving as a critical tool for effective management and direction in the context of climate change.

In response to emerging pests, such as brown planthoppers, in the 2025–2026 winter–spring rice crop that may affect the 2026 summer–autumn crop, as well as diseases in cassava, including cassava mosaic and root rot, the Plant Production and Protection Department will direct its specialized divisions and the Southern Center for Crop Production and Plant Protection to coordinate with provincial Departments of Agriculture and Environment to conduct field inspections and assessments, thereby introducing timely and specific preventive measures.