Mr. Thong's family planted 1.7 hectares of rice. After pruning and fertilizing, he saw that the field had a lot of grass, so he went to the local pesticide store to buy herbicide to spray. Because he still had the herbicide he had bought earlier at home, Mr. Thong only bought enough for 7 spray tanks, equivalent to 1.3 hectares. He sprayed the remaining 4 hectares with about 2 tanks of the old herbicide. After a while, the 1.3 hectares of rice that had been sprayed with the newly purchased herbicide turned yellow. The rice area sprayed with the old herbicide was still safe.

The reason was that the entire 1.3 hectares of rice died because he mistakenly sprayed a non-selective herbicide, Trau Vang brand, 100ml volume, imported and distributed by Kona Crop Science Company Limited (Ho Chi Minh City).

Mr. Thong’s family is in a difficult situation. Mr. Thong’s wife is currently hospitalized, so relatives, members of the intergenerational club, and women’s association of Doan Ket village have trimmed some of the young rice in their fields to help his family make up for the loss.

Ms. Vu Thi Chanh, Director of the Agricultural Service Center of Nam Sach District, said that this is a non-selective herbicide (it can kill weeds but can also harm crops). Herbicides for spraying on rice and crops must be selective. Before spraying, farmers need to read the instructions carefully and follow the 4 right principles (right time, right medicine, right dosage and right technique).