The ongoing serious drought is damaging some 160,000 hectares of paddy rice in Vietnam's Mekong Delta, causing losses of some 5,000 billion Vietnamese dong (222.2 million U.S. dollars), and affecting about 290,000 hectares of fruit trees, local media reported Tuesday.

Some 1,225 hectares of orchards in the southern province of Ben Tre are being damaged by the severe drought, and its impact will last long, daily newspaper Tien Phong (Pioneer) quoted the province's top official Vo Thanh Hao as saying.

Many local farmers complained that many coconut and cacao trees in the delta have failed to bear fruits due to the drought, and that if the drought prolongs, they will have to chop down the trees.

Parts of the delta have been experiencing the most serious drought and saltwater encroachment in the past nearly 100 years. The delta needs some 4 billion U.S. dollars to effectively deal with the drought and saltwater encroachment, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

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