Between 44,000 and 49,000 hectares of paddy fields in the summer-fall crop in south-central Vietnam may lack irrigation water due to prolonged drought, equal to 27.5%-30.6% of the region’s planned production area of 160,000 hectares, state media reported. The figure included 2,000 hectares in Quang Ngai province, 2,000-3,000 hectares in Phu Yen province, 14,000-15,000 hectares in Khanh Hoa province, 10,000-11,000 hectares in Ninh Thuan province, and 16,000-18,000 hectares in Binh Thuan province. At present, the water levels at local irrigation reservoirs have reached only 30%-40% of their capacity. At the peak time, over 100 small-scale reservoirs in the region have hit the dead water levels. It is forecast that the region will likely continue facing a shortage of rain until end-August. The rice output of south-central Vietnam hit 2.03 million in the 2019-2020 Winter-Spring crop, up by 33,800 tons y/y. (Nhan Dan)
