BenTre (VNA) - Farmers in the Mekong Delta province of BenTre are trying to recover fruit orchards damaged in the 2019-2020 dry season,but they lack financial resources to buy seedlings to replacedead trees.

Thecoastal province faced saltwater intrusion and drought from the end oflast year to June, according to its People’s Committee.

Saltwater witha salt content of up to 0.5 percent in the province occurred in thelast dry season, damaging 30-70 percent of 6,600ha of fruit orchards,more than 70 percent of 2,603ha of orchards, and 100 percent of 274haof orchards.

Durianand rambutan were among the fruits most damaged since they aresensitive to saline water. Durian trees can only tolerate a salinityrate of 0.1 percent.

NguyenVan Cu has a 9,000sq.m orchard of durian and rambutan trees in Chau Thanh district’sPhu Tuc commune. His trees died because of saltwater intrusion anddrought, but does not have enough money to buy seedlings andfertiliser to replace the dead trees, or to rebuild the orchard’ssaltwater prevention sluices.

“Iwill have to decide which saline-resistant fruit trees like coconut,grapefruit and orange I should plant later,” he said.  

InChau Thanh district, only about 50 percent of damaged fruit orchards have beenrehabilitated in Phu Duc, Phu Tuc, Tan Phu and Tien Long communes.

TranHoang Liem, Chairman of the Tan Phu Commune People’s Committee, said abouthalf of affected fruit orchards in the commune have been renovated.

Becauseof the damage, farmers do not have enough money to replace dead trees, hesaid.

“Wehave worked with agencies to instruct farmers in ways to rehabilitate theaffected trees,” he said. The measures include washing out salt in thesoil and rehabilitating the root and leaf systems of the trees.

NguyenAnh Quoc, deputy head of the Chau Thanh District Bureau of Agriculture andRural Development, said the district has more than 5,000ha of fruit damaged bysaltwater intrusion and drought.

Thedistrict has submitted a list of affected orchards to the province’sauthorities in order to receive financial support, he said.  

InCho Lach district, saltwater intrusion and drought damaged more than8,000ha of fruits, including 5,000ha of durian and rambutan, according to thedistrict’s People’s Committee. More than 30 million seedlings were alsodamaged in the district, which is the country’s largest seedling producer.

Preparation measures

Besidesreviving damaged orchards, many farmers in the province have taken measures tostore fresh water in the ongoing rainy season to cope with saltwaterintrusion and drought in the next dry season.

InCho Lach district, farmers are building water containers and upgrading ditchesin orchards to hold fresh water.

TranVan Tam, who has a 7,000sq.m durian orchard in Cho Lach’s Son Dinh commune,said besides rehabilitating his affected orchard, he is consolidatingembankments and sluices to store fresh water for the next dry season.

“Inrecent years, saltwater intrusion has occurred earlier than normal andlasted longer. Farmers have consolidated embankments and sluicesin fruit orchards to prepare for the dry season,” he said.

Besidesencouraging farmers to store fresh water for the next dry season, districtauthorities are consolidating sluices and dykes to help store fresh water.

Thedistrict has petitioned the province to build irrigation projects on branchesof main rivers to hold fresh water for agricultural production.

CaoVan Trong, Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, said at the beginningof the rainy season, the province urged households to store freshwater so they will not face shortages during drought and saline intrusion.

Theprovince is also speeding up construction projects to secure enough freshwater for household use and agricultural production in the coming time, hesaid./.