AGRICULTURAL MECHANISM: Reduce costs, free up labor

Mechanization of synchronous production has been promoted by BR-VT for many years, bringing high economic efficiency, reducing costs and increasing income for farmers.

The smart rice transplanter that combines the functions of sowing, cultivating rice, fertilizing, and spraying pesticides has been applied at An Nhut Agricultural and Service Cooperative from 2019. LABOR REMUNERATION Over 15 years of growing pepper, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Phuong (Tan Hoa village, Bau Chinh commune, Chau Duc district) said that in the past, from tending to harvesting, he had to do it by hand. To water 2.5 ha of pepper, 2 labor takes 7-8 hours to complete. In 2017, he invested 40 million VND in installing a drip irrigation system. Mr. Phuong commented, compared to the traditional irrigation method, drip irrigation has many outstanding advantages such as: saving water, minimizing water loss, making the soil always fresh and porous; Saving water pump electricity and reducing labor. In addition, this irrigation system can also combine fertilizer, medicine and irrigation water through the drip tips. “From the day of installing the automatic watering system, every time I water the garden, I just turn on the circuit breaker, set the hour and go to other jobs. In addition to reducing labor, the automatic irrigation system also helps to save water. In the past, the average amount of watering was 300m3 / ha / time, since the application of drip irrigation has been reduced to 60m3 / ha ”, Mr. Phuong compared. In the rice fields of farmers in Phuoc Hoi, Lang Dai, Long Tan, Phuoc Long Tho communes (Dat Do district), the system of machines such as tillage and transportation machines, water pumps, combine harvesters, Harvesting in series, rice dryers appeared more and more, gradually replacing the labor force of farmers. Information from the Department of Agriculture of Dat Do district shows that more than 16,000 hectares of cultivated rice by farmers have used almost 100% machinery in the stages of soil preparation and harvesting. Mr. Nguyen Van Tam, an agricultural officer in Phuoc Long Tho commune, said that almost all stages of rice production in the locality have been mechanized. With the implementation of agricultural mechanization, when sowing sowing, there were plows and land-plowing machines, when the harvest time, there was a combine harvester to serve at the place. In addition to bringing about higher economic efficiency, the application of mechanization also solves one of the difficult stages of the agricultural sector today, which is the source of labor when only 1-2 operators and use are possible. work, help farmers reduce labor costs. CONTINUOUS SUPPORTING MACHINERY IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION According to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, at present, the province has more than 400 types of machines serving the mechanization of agricultural production, with the number of more than 105 thousand units. In which, machinery is concentrated mainly in stages such as soil preparation, irrigation, spraying of pesticides, transportation and fishing means. The stages of harvesting, preliminarily processing and preserving agricultural products currently only stop at a number of models of applying preliminary processing technology and preserving vegetables and fruits after harvest. The average level of mechanization of the stages in agricultural production such as: land preparation reaches 100%; 80% of care and spraying of plant protection products; the harvest stage reaches 40%; 30% drying stage. The application of agricultural mechanization has contributed to reducing labor, ensuring seasonality, increasing productivity, quality and reducing post-harvest losses. Mr. Vu Ngoc Dang, Deputy Director of the Rural Development Sub-Department (Department of Agriculture and Rural Development), said implementing the policy of developing household economy in agriculture and fisheries (Resolution 05/2018 / NQ-HDND) and policies to support equipment and materials for the development of cooperatives in the agricultural sector in the period of 2019-2020 (Resolution 39/2018 / NQ-HDND), up to now, the Sub-Department has supported more than 300 machines and equipment. serving production with more than 250 households / cooperatives operating in the agricultural sector such as sowing machines, burying fertilizers for An Nhut Agricultural and Service Cooperative; Package irrigation system, tillers, chain saws for Thai Duong Agricultural Cooperative … In the coming time, the Department will coordinate with localities to continue reviewing and making statistics on the number of machines and equipment; from there to build production plans towards focusing on developing plants and animals with strengths, competitiveness and in accordance with the province’s development planning. “For the project of agricultural mechanization and the application of post-harvest technology (under the Scheme on restructuring the agricultural sector of BR-VT province in the direction of increasing added value and sustainable development to 2020, vision to 2030), after being approved by the competent authority, the Sub-Department will coordinate with relevant departments and agencies to organize propaganda and mobilization of post-harvest agricultural mechanization through models, project points, seminars, seminars ”, Mr. Vu Ngoc Dang more information.