Ca Mau drought causes billion-VND losses to farmers

Prolonged drought has caused severe damage worth tens of billions of Vietnamese dong to farms in the southernmost province of Ca Mau, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Prolonged drought has caused severe damage worth tens of billions of Vietnamese dong to farms in the southernmost province of Ca Mau, according to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

As many as 2,800 hectares of shrimps were ruined, costing over 10 billion VND (465,000 USD).

Drought has also taken its toll on the loss of over 700 eel and marble goby ponds, 1,200 hectares of crops as well as nearly 1,000 hectares of orchards valued at nearly 9 billion VND (418,600 USD).

The locality is suffering severe water shortages, said the provincial agriculture promotion centre, forecasting a worsened situation in May if the drought continues to cripple the region.

The province is striving to counteract the issue with priority given to supplying fresh water for thousands of residents and irrigating hundreds hectares of crops, though there is no way to save the fruit trees.