Drought affects corn planting progress from support sources

After receiving corn seeds supported by the Central Government for localities affected by natural disasters in 2023, the People's Committee of Ham Thuan Nam district allocated corn seeds to Ham Can and My Thanh communes for summer-autumn crop production in 2024. However, due to the impact of drought, it is not possible to plant seeds, while the expiration date of corn seeds is until the end of June 2024, making the People's Committee of the commune and farmers worried that it will affect the quality of the seeds.

According to the plan, the People's Committee of Ham Thuan Nam district has distributed corn seeds from the central support source to people in Ham Can and My Thanh communes from mid-April to May 5, 2024 for the 2024 summer-autumn crop production. The total amount of corn distributed to these two communes is 18,200 kg, corn varieties are CP 111 (4,700 kg) and CP333 (13,500 kg) F1 level (Ham Can 15,400 kg and My Thanh 2,800 kg). The beneficiaries are reviewed, voted on by the locality and are responsible for the list of beneficiaries in their locality. Specifically, the support level is the area that has been completely lost (damage rate over 70%) is supported with a maximum of 20 kg/ha. The area that has been damaged from 30-70%, the maximum support level is 10 kg/ha.

*Ham Can Commune People's Committee distributed corn seeds to people on June 5, 2024.*

According to the reporter, immediately after receiving the support seed source, the People's Committee of My Thanh commune distributed seeds to the subjects. The People's Committee of Ham Can commune is currently distributing corn seeds to the people. However, the local authorities of the two communes are worried because the area has been experiencing prolonged drought in the past, making the land dry and unable to plant. By May 2024, there was rain in the area, but the conditions for planting were not yet favorable. After several rains, for about 10 days now, the area of Ham Can and My Thanh communes has continued to experience hot weather, so people are worried because they cannot plant seeds. Meanwhile, the expiration date of the amount of corn seeds printed on the packaging is June 27, 2024, so the commune authorities and people are worried that it will affect the germination quality of the seeds after planting.

*Corn acreage damaged by natural disasters in 2023.*

Regarding this issue, Mr. Tran Van Lanh - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Ham Thuan Nam district said that immediately after receiving the support seed source, the district promptly distributed it to 2 communes. However, due to the drought in the two communes of Ham Can and My Thanh in the past, it affected the time of corn planting and there was concern about the shelf life of the seeds. According to Mr. Lanh, technically, the corn seeds produced in the summer-autumn crop with a deadline in June have no quality problems. It is known that on the morning of June 5, the People's Committee of Ham Can commune continued to distribute the support corn seeds to the people so that they could plant them in time, ensuring progress.

*People come to do procedures to receive corn seeds.*

Previously, according to the plan to receive and distribute corn seeds to support Ham Can and My Thanh communes affected by natural disasters in 2023, the People's Committee of Ham Thuan Nam district requested the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of the district to coordinate with Thua Thien Hue Plant and Livestock Seed Joint Stock Company to hand over seeds to the People's Committees of Ham Can and My Thanh communes, ensuring quality, quantity, and variety. At the same time, provide full information about the seeds such as seed characteristics, production process, storage time, expiry date, germination rate, purity of the seeds... and be responsible for the quality of the seeds. At the same time, it is required that the receipt and distribution of seeds ensure the quantity and quality according to the correct standards, to the correct subjects, and to the correct addresses. On the other hand, promptly serve production, closely monitor and inspect the quality and quantity of the provided seeds, preserve and use the provided seeds for the right purposes, and avoid loss or waste. The People's Committees of Ham Can and My Thanh communes shall receive, preserve, distribute and use corn seeds for the right subjects and purposes, meeting the requirements of local agricultural production. On the other hand, they shall check the quality (germination rate), the quantity of seeds supplied, retain seed samples, packaging and labels for inspection and report to the seed supplier if there is a problem with the germination rate.