Smiles in the fields after the flood

At the end of May and beginning of June, the Mường Pồn valley is brightened by the golden hue of ripening rice. In a place that was once a “flood-prone area,” causing much suffering and loss, the Khơ Mú, Thái, and Mông ethnic minority groups have restored the rice fields that were buried by the floodwaters.

Despite the capricious weather of early summer with irregular rain and sunshine, the locals have hurried to harvest the rice of the summer crop. This year, the flood-prone area has yielded a good harvest. As a result, bright smiles are easy to spot in the fields. Everyone is delighted to “reap the fruits” after months of hard labor.

On the rice field of Quàng Thị Xuân in Tin Tốc village, nearly ten workers hurriedly harvested the rice. Their hands moved swiftly and rhythmically amid the laughter. Recently, people in the village have harvested in a staggered fashion, using mutual labor exchange, which has helped speed up the process. Compared to other households, Xuân’s family harvested the latest, but earlier than the usual harvest time.

Xuân shared joyfully, “My family has 3,000m2 of land and we feed 8 mouths. Last year, the flood wiped out everything. Luckily, we were able to quickly replant, and we finished sowing before Tết. There was a lot of rain recently, and the water level rose, so we had to harvest early. Wherever the rice is golden, we harvest. I estimate we’ll harvest about 1.5 tons of rice this year, which is more than last year’s spring crop.”

Similarly, Lò Thị Xoan’s family in Lĩnh village has been working hard to harvest their rice. All 4,000m2 of their land were rehabilitated and successfully sown. By now, Xoan has 40 bags of Séng cù rice harvested, dried, and stored under the family’s floor. Although the yield is not as high as in previous years, it’s a pleasant surprise for her.

“When we sowed, there were still stones and gravel on the land, and we couldn’t remove everything. My husband and I said, as long as we have enough rice for our four family members to eat without buying, it’s good enough. It’s a blessing that we’ve had a good harvest,” Xoan explained.

Clearing the land for rice to thrive

In his working office, which is still in the process of being organized for the upcoming administrative restructuring, Quàng Văn Tiến, Chairman of the Mường Pồn commune People’s Committee, greeted us with a bright smile. He said: “How can I not be happy when the people are harvesting their first rice crop after the floods, and the yield has exceeded expectations.”

He recalled the historic flood that struck in July last year, followed by an intense effort from the province down to the grassroots to help people recover. After the initial support to stabilize people’s lives, the urgent task was to restore production.

“We realized that we could only provide short-term food assistance, not a long-term solution. The most important factor was that we couldn’t wait indefinitely. So, the commune recommended to the district and province, mobilizing resources including funds, machinery, equipment, and manpower to quickly help people restore their fields, clear debris, and rehabilitate their production areas. After a lot of effort, 66/86 hectares of farmland in Mường Pồn have been restored. Of this, 60 hectares were used for rice cultivation and 6 hectares for maize,” he shared.

As the restored fields became available, farmers were able to start sowing. By the end of 2024, the first seeds had been planted on these rehabilitated fields, carrying the hope of the farmers. Each day, Mường Pồn’s officials and people tended to the fields, monitoring the progress of the rice crops. To ensure high yields, experts worked alongside the farmers on seed selection and technical assistance. Additionally, the Điện Biên district provided fertilizers (25kg per 1,000m2) and agricultural machinery to families with significant damage.

The fragrance of prosperity

Recently, the Mường Pồn commune authorities, together with specialized agencies, conducted assessments of the rice yield and quality from the restored areas. Despite some fields still containing stones and gravel, the overall yield has met expectations.

“Currently, over 90% of the fields have been harvested. On average, the yield is expected to reach 58 quintals per hectare. While the yield is lower than in previous years, given that the land hasn’t fully recovered, this is a very positive result!” said Tiến.

What’s even more exciting is that after many months of hard work, farmers in Mường Pồn are now harvesting the fruits of their labor. In Lĩnh village, Lù Văn Yêu’s family, who were hit hardest by the flood, are among the first to harvest their rice this season. Yêu explained that due to concerns about potential flooding, they harvested early to avoid losing their crop. However, despite this, the rice still yielded a good quantity and quality.

“I have 6,000m2 of land, from which I managed to rehabilitate and sow 4,500m2, mostly with Nếp thơm and Séng cù varieties. We’ve already harvested and stored it. We took good care of the rice, fertilized it properly, and the yield is good. For the Nếp rice, we harvested 17 bags from 1,000m2. We’ve already milled one bag to eat for a few meals!” he shared excitedly.

In his home, along with many other households in Mường Pồn, the newly harvested rice fills the storage. Some families are busy preparing to celebrate with a family meal. This is the first meal with newly harvested rice, grown, cared for, and harvested by the villagers after the floods. It marks the beginning of a new chapter, with more bountiful harvests to come.