A drought that began unusually at the end of September last year in the Tay Nguyen (Central Highlands) region has destroyed thousands of hectares of crops.

The region, used to see its dry season commence in April or May every year, now has to make concerted efforts to reduce losses to agriculture production.

In Kong Chro, the hardest hit district in Gia Lai Province, more than 2,800ha of crops have been destroyed and the loss is estimated at VND39 billion ($1.8 million), according to the district administration.

Nguyen Bieu, head of the district People's Committee's Office, said all corn, cotton, and various kinds of beans have been wiped out.

Half of the upland rice crop has also been ruined, he said.

Farmers in the Central Highlands, the country's largest coffee cultivation area, have begun the second irrigation of their coffee bushes.

But there is little or no water in rivers, lakes, and reservoirs for irrigation.

Bui Van Nghia of Dak Lak Province's Krong Nang District, said after the first irrigation, water levels in most dams and reservoirs in his area fell by half.

Groundwater too has dwindled, including under reservoirs and dams, and cannot make up for the water drawn for the first irrigation, he said.

Coffee farmers have to water their trees three to four times during the dry season, which lasts from November to May.

But now around 8,000ha out of 26,000ha in Krong Nang lack water, according to the district Agriculture and Rural Development Bureau.

In Dak Nong Province's Dak Song, Dak Mil, and Cu Jut districts, home to large coffee-growing areas, farmers are being supplied water from reservoirs and other possible sources, but many lack water for irrigation.

Le Van Sau of Dak Mil District said: "Usually water in the Dak Goun Irrigation Reservoir is aplenty, and only runs out at the end of the dry season.

"But [now] the water level is very low. If the weather worsens, there will not be enough water for the next two times we need to irrigate."

Irrigation works can only supply water for about 20,000ha of coffee in Dak Mil and farmers have to find water from bore wells, rivers, and springs to irrigate the remaining 56,000ha, according to the district Agriculture and Rural Development Bureau.

But the cost of digging a bore well is VND30-40 million and the fuel for operating a pump to irrigate one hectare of coffee costs around VND4 million each time, farmers said.

Agricultural officials in Tay Nguyen provinces urged farmers to dredge irrigation canals and lakes and adjust their pumping schedules to ensure that rivers, reservoirs, and dams are not depleted.

Farmers have been instructed in measures to retain moisture in the soil.

The local departments of Agriculture and Rural Development want farmers to use water more judiciously and take measures to prevent droughts in future.

They have a habit of watering their coffee bushes many times in the dry season, using 600-700 litres for each tree each time, wasting 300-400 litres, the officials said.

VNS