Vietnam: Rice Blast Disease Attack Crops

Vietnam's Southern Steering Committee for Pestilent Insects Fighting and Prevention committee has warned that Rice blast disease has affected the winter-spring crops in many provinces across the Mekong delta.

In these Mekong Delta provinces, nearly 99,000 hectares have been infected with the disease, accounting for 5-15 percent of the total crop area. In some areas, the rate was up to 30 %.

The committee has called on all agriculture and rural development departments of the Mekong Delta provinces to strengthen control measures for the hoppers saying pesticide spraying was the solution for rice fields close to harvest.