An ongoing drought in Vietnam's northern and central highland regions is badly affecting agricultural production and has resulted in smaller acreage of rice fields, local media reported Thursday.

The drought, mainly caused by lower-than-usual rainfall, is hard hitting cereal and cash crops nationwide, especially the two regions, since rivers and reservoirs now can serve just around 85 percent of the crops' demand for water,

If the drought prolongs, total losses caused by it will amount to 8 trillion Vietnamese dong (509.5 million US dollars) this year,said the Irrigation Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

The ministry is now calling on localities nationwide to use water more economically, and advising farmers in areas hardest hitby the drought to grow plants which require less water instead of the winter-spring rice crop.

Vietnam is estimated to produce over 35.7 million tons of paddyrice from 7.4 million hectares this year, up 3.3 percent in outputbut down 0.4 percent in acreage against last year, according to the General Statistics Office.

Source: Xinhua