The word of the editor: Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Le Minh Hoan reflected that there are currently many stories about mechanization in the Mekong Delta. Machines and mechanical equipment are widespread but not synchronized, making production costs high and profits not increasing.

This series of articles will analyze in depth the current situation of mechanization application in Mekong Delta settlements. At the same time, propose solutions to promote the formation of Mekong Delta Agricultural Mechanization Center.

Lesson 1: Imported machines “own” the home field

Jump machine to replace human power

Thousands of years ago, rice cultivation became a civilization of the Vietnamese nation. Looking back at the development of rice, farmers are all excited when the image of the buffalo and the plow is no longer present in the fields. Instead, there are plows and combines that run in the field every time the rice harvest arrives.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Van’s family in Hamlet 1, Trinh Phu Township, Ke Sach District, Soc Trang Province, has been cultivating rice on an area of ​​over 10,000 square meters for more than 30 years. She remembered the traditional time of making rice without mechanical assistance and complained a lot because everything was done by hand. If it’s just about her paddy field, if it’s harvest time, she has to hire someone to carry the rice, someone to carry the bag, someone to carry the rice…while it takes labor and the harvest season is long .

Currently, with the support of the combine harvester, Ms. Van’s rice harvesting, as well as farmers in Ke Sach district and the entire Mekong Delta region, is becoming quick and easy, and the rice is being transported to the wharf yard with traders awaiting weighing.

“Now if the rice collapses, the machine can’t cut it, and asking workers to cut it manually costs twice as much as asking the machine to cut it. Machine making is very convenient now, just one person going to the field is enough,” Ms. Van said excitedly.

In addition, when the rice is harvested, the machine mows the entire field, so the people around have to work together and do it at the same time, from sowing to harvest, not like the old days “strong everyone can do it”. “. This has helped farmers make working together a habit.

At Toan Phat Agricultural Cooperative in Co Do District, Can Tho City, the use of mechanized machinery for rice production has also been embraced enthusiastically by members in recent years. At present, the cooperative has invested in straw rolling machines and cluster seeders with the aim of investing in more agricultural drones (drones) to support rice production for the cooperative members.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hong, Chairman of the Cooperative, assessed that the application of mechanization has helped the Cooperative’s seed rate drop from 18kg/1,000m2 to 8kg of rice seed/1,000m2, the rice yield is still guaranteed. say. Also, farmers were less willing to change at first, but after the period of practical application, members saw the effect, gradually converged, and now apply it very simultaneously.

“Agricultural production with mechanization will be complete, scientific, reduce costs, improve productivity. The cooperative’s rice production chain will be basically mechanized to reach 100% in the next summer-autumn harvest in 2023,” said Mr. Hong.

In the Mekong Delta, mechanization now includes all stages of tillage, fertilization, irrigation, harvesting and post-harvest technology. The advantages of mechanization are also obvious. For rice, mechanization in the tillage phase has reached 100%, the harvest phase is 95%, the plant care and protection phase is also around 85%, the sowing and transplanting phase is 70%.

Some important rice-producing places in the Mekong Delta such as Kien Giang, An Giang, Dong Thap, Can Tho city, Hau Giang…, the stages of tillage, irrigation, pesticide spraying and harvesting have formed non-profit groups and groups specialized in the provision of mechanization services to farmers.

Typically, there are 24 technical groups in Can Tho City applying mechanization in crop production. The main activities of these technical groups are irrigation pumps, tillage and mechanized harvesting services. In addition, the city has 110 service groups for spraying, fertilizing, sowing rice and pumping water. There are about 1,300 drying kilns with a capacity of 20-40 tons/kiln, covering 100% of the city’s rice production.

According to the Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Rural Development (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development), the number and type of machinery and equipment used in agricultural production increased rapidly in the period 2011-2021, especially the number of tractors and tractors in agriculture The Sector grew rapidly, types up 60%, planters up 10x, water pumps up 60%, combines up 80% and pesticide sprayers up 3.5x.

In particular, the application of mechanization in rice production has also seen a significant increase over the period 2008-2021: tillage increased from 75% to 97%; Seeding and transplanting stages increased from 5% to 65%; Plant care and protection from 55% to 80%; harvest stage from 15% to 78%; Straw collection stage reached 90%.

Imported machinery and equipment “own” the shipyard

The picture of mechanization in the Mekong Delta has many bright colors, with the efforts of mechanization companies and rice production companies. Above all, the innovative spirit and the creativity of the farmers. However, to bring the story of the application of mechanization in the Mekong Delta to an end, the roots must be recognized that the current state of mechanization is still out of synchronization.

On the occasion of speaking with Mr. Tran Thai Nghiem, Deputy Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Can Tho City, Mr. Nghiem reflected: For the main production field of rice, mechanization steps such as tending, fertilizing, sowing seeds, etc. are the spraying of pesticides is still limited. Fruit tree production is still mainly done by hand. Even in the fisheries sector, the application of mechanization is still modest, some stages like harvesting and transporting aquatic products from ponds do not have synchronous mechanization equipment to help the production process of fisheries.

The reason for this situation, according to Mr. Nghiem, lies in the relatively small and fragmented production scale of farmers in Can Tho City in particular and in the Mekong Delta in general. Also, the conditions and characteristics of the land of each locality in the Mekong Delta are different.

In fact, most of the machinery and equipment for agricultural production today is imported from advanced countries such as Japan, Korea, China, India… These devices, when put into practical use, are not suitable for the country in Can Tho city.

Typically, most of the subsidence of the rice planters when used in the field now occurs quite frequently in rice cultivation crops because the soil foundation in the city is relatively weak. Therefore, it is difficult for farmers to use it immediately. This requires importers and companies to undergo a re-improvement process to adapt to local conditions. In addition, the quality of agricultural machinery and equipment is currently not strictly controlled and controlled. Users of agricultural machinery and equipment are not trained in occupational safety and health protection.

Mr. Le Huu Toan, deputy director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Kien Giang Province, said the finished equipment will be replicated on site for cooperatives in the province. However, Mr. Toan is very interested in machine operator training. Because at present, the organization of training and the issuance of practice certificates on this topic have not been carried out comprehensively, which affects both national security and human health.

A statistic from the University of Agriculture and Forestry in Ho Chi Minh City shows that there are more than 10 million agricultural households nationwide with an average motivation level of only 2.4 CV/ha. The Mekong Delta is considered the most motivated area in the country, but only achieves 2.8 CV/ha. The proportion of households with tractors and agricultural machinery is still small, on average around 50 households only have one tractor. This level of equipment is much lower than in countries like Thailand, Korea, China, etc.

Associated Prof. Dr of the machines are imported from China, Japan and Korea.In the Mekong Delta region, there are few small mechanical facilities and workshops left in the region, even in An.Giang province, an important place for rice production in the region , but currently there are no machine shops in this province, but mainly welding and turning shops and small repair shops.