Report of Department of Agricultural Economy – Ministry of Planning and Investment in March 24th 2012.
1. Agriculture
a. Cultivation
As of March 15th 2012, the whole country has cultivated 3065.9 thousand hectares of winter-spring rice, equaling 101% over the same period last year, in which the Northern localities sowed 1106.5 thousand hectares, equaling 101%, the sowing of Southern provinces was basically ended, reaching 1959.3 thousand hectares, equivalent to 100.9% (rose about 17 thousand ha).
Due to this relatively favorable weather, winter-spring rice cultivation schedule of the North was faster than the same period of about 11 thousand hectares, mainly in the mountainous provinces because of sufficient water supplement, the Delta provinces Red finished sowing, reaching 555 thousand hectares, approximately over the same period. Although the extremely cold weather in the end of February caused slow progress, in March, gradual high and warm temperatures facilitated plants for growth and development. The early spring cultivation is in the period of branching birth, late spring cultivation is in the period of green recovery. The localities focused on caring, weeding and sowing over the mountainous area.
Due to late sowing, as of mid-March, the southern provinces have just harvested 835.9 thousand ha of winter-spring rice, equivalent to 82.2% over the same period last year, in which the Mekong River Delta harvested 805.2 thousand hectares, accounting for 51% of the sowing area and 81.2% over the same period. Some localities had less harvested areas over the same period are: An Giang (harvested 50 thoundsand hectares, equaling 29% over the same period), Dong Thap (harvested more than 58 thousand hectares, equivalent to 39% over the same period), Can Tho (harvested nearly 44 thousand hectares, equaling 62% over the same period); Kien Giang (harvested nearly 170 thousand hectares, equaling 71% over the same period). It is expected that by mid-April, the Mekong Delta provinces will definitely harvest winter-spring rice in 2012. According to initial estimates of provinces, the winter-spring rice yield of the Mekong River Delta is estimated at 10.7 million tons, rose nearly 200 thousand tons compared to winter-spring cultivation 2011 because of the increase in productivity of 1quintal/hectare compared to 2011. The increase in rice yield was mainly due to:
- High flood level, flood lasting duration in 2011 carried much sediment, making the land fertile.
- The farmers spontanously avoided bulks and implemented cultivation in schedule from the agricultural sector’s recommendations, applied fertilizer in rice leaf’s color chart, used high-productive rice varieties (the proportion of IR 50404 was still used most by farmers because of good prices in summer and autumn-winter 2011), realized seeds, high-quality rice seeds ... limited many pests, helping rice plants grow better, reducing costs, increasing profits.
The rice price at the early March/2012 fell by 400-500 VND/kg at 4300-4800 VND/kg). However, the Prime Minister has decided to allow temporary purchasing storage of 1 million tonnes of rice in the Mekong Delta, the regional price of rice has risen again, ensuring a profit of 30% for farmers.
In parallel with the winter-spring rice cultivation, as of mid-March, the country has planted 329 thoundsand hectares of maize, equaling 93%; 88.1 thousand hectares of sweet potato, equaling 105.6%; 432.4 thousand hectares of vegetables, equaling 106.5% over the same period last year. Particularly area of soybeans, peanuts decreased compared to the same period: soybean reached 52.3 thousand hectares, equivalent to 50.9%; peanuts reached 146.7 thousand hectares, equaling 88.6%. The reason was the short winter season of 2011-2012 in the North, heavy rain, then farmers mainly planted crops with low-cost input, short-term, to ensure to release of land fund for timely winter-spring cultivation.
b. Livestock
Cattle breeding in quarter I/2012 was focused on caring and reproduction due to the number of cattle slaughtered during the Lunar New Year and died for cold weather. However, due to the narrowed grazing area and lasting reproduction time, the cattle of the whole country in quarter I/2012 decreased 7% from the same period last year. Dairy farming continued to grow; dairy herd was estimated to increase over 10% with many linking models between acquansition businesses and farmers in Ha Noi, Nghe An....
Pig breeding: Farmers still faced difficulties because prices of live-weight pigs had tend to fall. Besides the consumption of pork was limited due to the fear of pork contaminated with lean stimulants, badly effecting human health, especially after the information which the Department of market management in Dong Nai inspect and seize more than 250kg of lean stimulants. Therefore, although the blue ear disease don’t outbreak as in previous years, farmers haven’t invested in quick herd increasing. Pig population of the country was estimated to increase by about 3-4% compared to the same period in 2011.
Poultry suffered huge losses due to avian influenza outbreaks in many localities throughout the country from the end of January this year, which mainly concentrating on the provinces of the Red River Delta and the North Central.
The diseases of cattle, poultry
According to the Department of Animal Health, as of March 22nd 2012, there have not had avian flu in any provinces; foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Ha Nam has been less than 21 days and green ear disease in Dien Bien has been less than 21 days. FMD in cattle, green ear in pig was mainly controlled.
2. Forestry
From the first months of the year, provinces have been proactively deploy forestry production as plan for 2012, focusing on the planting, tending, tending, protection and attention to the prevention against forest fires during the dry season. In the first quarter, forestry production to meet the freezing weather conditions (in the North and Central Coast), the drought situation in nearly all provinces in the country, was somewhat affect the production schedule. However by the end of the first quarter in the North and North Central region had rain, rainfall is relatively large, the province has implemented reforestation work; South Central region and the South by the dry weather, the other seasonal planting later than it is to focus the work of sowing and tending seedlings, prepare the planting site. Major forest products exploitation generally increased significantly over the same period in 2011 due to increased demand, especially plantation timber, so the provincial development and expansion of production facilities, processing wood products used in domestic and export demand should increase the supply of raw materials; price of raw timber products on the market increased (more local plantation timber prices by over 10%) and maintained at higher than the same period in 2011 is also a cause to promote development of forestry production.
The situation of forest damage: Due to dry weather, many areas have high risk of fire. Especially in the middle of March, fierce forest-fires were occured in the North West Province. The authorities in collaboration with the local governments have organized professional forces and people to timely extinguish the fire as soon as it happens, not to spread.
3. Fisheries
Total fisheries production in the first quarter of 2012 reached 1,138.2 thousand tons, increased by 3.9% over the same period last year; in which, fish production was estimated at 858 thousand tons, increased by 3.8%, shrimp production was estimated at 104.5 thousand tons, increased by 6%, other fisheries was estimated at 169.7 thousand tons, increased 4.9%.
Aquaculture
Aquaculture production in the quarter was estimated at 511.6 thousand tons, rose 6.5% over the same period; in which, fish production reached 380.2 thousand tons, increased by 5%, shrimp production obtained 76.1 thousand tons, increased by 7%. Aquaculture situation was relatively easy due to prices of key exported seafood such as catfish, shrimp, white shrimp... rose.
Catfish feeding had sign of prosperity but consisting potential risks: Catfish material prices rose from last year 2011; to mid-March, catfish price was about 26,000-27,000d/kg, many plants have been short of raw production materials. However, because of the information about the financial instability in a number of catfish processing enterprises for export in recent days, it has caused many catfish farmers be impatient and massively sell catfish materials that led to price reduction of 24,000d-25,000d/kg. Catfish harvested yield of the localities in Mekong Delta region was estimated at 240 thousand tons, increased 4.5%.
Intensive farming of shrimp has been in the period of the pond renovation, some localities sowed. Farming schedule is relatively evenly between localities and being strictly controlled to ensure seed quality and the time of farming. However, the disease has been arisen and spread in the provinces: Tra Vinh (nearly 31.23 million seed killed on an area of 1000 hectares of water surface), Soc Trang with 260 hectares got disease, Tien Giang with 64 hectares got disease … due to early release and loose quarantine of seed quality. White leg shrimp has developed stable in the Central Coast Area. Feeding lobster in cage faced difficulties, with about 7,500 cages from 6-10 months of age in Phu Yen died of milk disease, black branchia and red body.
Other types of aquaculture were fed stably in associating with the implementation of diretcion to convert and expand the area of aquaculture in the direction of multi-season, multi-type combination, in order to improve economic efficiency and ensure ecological sustainability of agriculture, forestry and fishery. Popular model is the combination of shrimp-fish, shrimp-rab, shrimp-rice, rice-fish.... To develop cage feeding, floating raft, with species of high economic value such as grouper, cobia....
Exploitation of fisheries
Exploitation of fishery production reached 626.6 thousand tons, increased 2.9% compared to the same period last year; in which marine mining reached 581.6 thousand tons, up 3.04%
In the Northern sea, prolonged cold weather is not favorable for sailing but in the south with warm sun and smooth sea, exploitation activities are relatively stable. The efficient minings included fins off, sweep nets, drag nets, trawl, 3 monitors, lights, fishing..... with main objects of fish exploitation such as tuna, anchovy, scad, tracks, holes, silver cheeks, squids, cuttlefish... Although gasoline prices increased in March, the positive united implementation of Decision No. 48/2010/QD-TTg about policy to support fuel for large-capacity vessels on offshore mining areas and deploy satellite observations for fishing vessels with a capacity of 90CV in localities facilitated fishermen to stay in the sea.
Aquaculture has developed well, low sea-exploitation increased less due to weather conditions, high oil prices, but still higher than the same period in 2011 (1.9%) . Normally the first quarter of the years, catching yield increased slowly due to weather conditions.
- The use of ultra-lean in growing pigs: DLP (MARD) said, in 2010 the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development issued Circular 54 regulating specifically inspection process of residues, in which banned the use of three substances to create lean including Ractopamine, Clenbuterol and Salbutamol. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the use of banned substances has just occured in a small number of farms with no basis to conclude that 30-40% of contaminated pork to increase lean and weight as some information in media in recent years, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has answered officially issue on the public to relieve consumers, do not turn away from pork as last time. Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has proposed to the Ministry of Health to have specific remedies, strict shipping regulations of Salbutanol for illegal business objects not to take advantage, both Ministries enhance product quality control measures.
5. Overall Assessment
In spite of the difficulties of increase of fuel prices, supplies affecting production, potentially butter outbreak in cattle and poultry, the growth rate of total production value of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in Quarter I increased significantly. According to the General Statistics Office, the production value of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in Quarter I of 2012 (at constant prices in 1994) was estimated at 50 370.68 billion VND, up 3.68% compared to the first quarter of 2011, in which agriculture reached 37 695.48 billion VND, up 3.23%; forestry reached 1,584 billion VND, up 6.14%; fishery gained 11,091.2 billion VND, up 4.9% (first quarter of 2011 up 3.46%). /.
Ministry of Planning and Investment