The Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap has taken the lead with 13,000 hectares of rice suffered brown planthopper disease and 6,638 hectares of rice caught the stunt-yellow leaf and stunt-ragged leaf diseases in the country, according to the statistics of the Plant Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
A delegation led by Agriculture Minister Cao Duc Phat visited Dong Thap to find out more about the brown planthopper, stunt-yellow leaf, stunt-ragged leaf diseases and the consumption of tra catfish on Sunday.
Dong Thap is a center of brown planthopper, stunt-yellow leaf and stunt-ragged leaf diseases. More than 1.8 million migrating brown planthoppers were trapped on July 11. Meanwhile, the number reached 9.5 million on July 16. Of these, 60 to 100 percent of them bringing rice grassy stunt and rice ragged stunt viruses.
Dong Thap authorities must ask relevant departments to control and fight the disease. Experts from the ministry will arrive in the province to study the diseases and guide farmers on cultivation measures, seed selection and managing the disease, said the minister.
Besides, the catfish breeding area has seen an increase of 50 fish in one square meter in the province, a double the amount in 2003. The local authorities need to support enterprises that breed or consume catfish, he added.
