Over the past year, mechanization in agriculture and agricultural processing has advanced, contributing to the growth and stability of the agriculture industry and the development of new-style rural areas. The added value of the industry is between two and three percent every year. By 2021, there were around 14,400 enterprises investing in agriculture and 19,000 agricultural cooperatives in the United States.

The aforementioned achievements were presented during a seminar titled "Scale-appropriate mechanization for sustainable agriculture," which was conducted on August 24 in Can Tho province. This event is a part of "Agritechnica Asia Live 2022."

Coverage rate of mechanization

During his remarks at the opening, MARD Deputy Minister Tran Thanh Nam said that some phases of agricultural fields and supply chains are highly mechanized. Particularly, crop production mechanization ranges from 70 to 100 percent, while livestock mechanization ranges from 55 to 90 percent. In aquaculture, machinery such as aerators, water temperature monitors, harvesters, and pond infrastructure machines are widely used.

Mr. Nam noted that MARD was presenting a Decree on synchronorous mechanization in agriculture to the government as a legislative framework to strengthen mechanization in agricultural output. The "Agritechnica Asia Live 2022" event will be hosted in Mekong Delta, the most important agricultural production region in Vietnam, with the goal of promoting agricultural mechanization in a synchronized manner, following the production chain, processing, and consumption of agricultural goods.

It also intends to promote the transfer of advanced and smart machinery, equipment, and technology to agricultural processing and production stages. The objective of synchronous mechanization by 2050 is to make Vietnam one of the top 10 agricultural product processing centers in the world.

The present quantity and variety of machinery and equipment for agricultural mechanization are expanding. During the period from 2011 to 2021, the number of all types of tractors increased by 60%, the number of transplanters by 10 times, the number of water pumps by 60%, the number of combined harvesters by 80%, the drying of agricultural products by 30%, the processing of animal feed by 91%, the processing of food by 30%, the processing of aquatic feed by 2.2 times, and the spraying of pesticides by 3.5 times. All phases of agriculture have been mechanized, including tilling, fertilization, irrigation, harvesting, and post-harvest technologies.

There are over 7,800 mechanical firms, over 270 scientific research institutes, and 538,700 mechanical employees in the whole nation. More than 4,000 agricultural cooperatives collaborate with 1,867 businesses in the production, processing, and consumption of agricultural goods.

Mr. Bui Van Kip, Senior Advisor, Plant Science Branch of Bayer Vietnam, said that several studies have shown the efficacy of drones in assisting with cultivation, output growth, and the quality of agricultural goods. Reducing direct human contact during pesticide spraying is one of the main advantages.

To link farmers with the network of service providers, gather data during operation, evaluate and create smart applications in the future, a digital technology platform must be developed. Support will be provided for drug residue management, pest forecasting, pest treatment and management, etc. This will assist farmers in optimizing their usage of drone features and reducing costs.

In-dept adoption

Dai Thanh Company has implemented the Global Check drone in numerous regions of the Mekong Delta. With a capacity of 20 to 40 liters for pesticides or 40 kg for seeds and fertilizers. All drones can operate on any terrain and are controlled by smartphone. The pre- and post-harvest phases of Vietnam's agricultural business have seen a growth in mechanization, as shown by the aforementioned statistics.

Mr. Ngo Van Dong, General Director of Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company, stated that Binh Dien has set the objective of promoting sustainable agricultural farming methods via the implementation of smart farming solutions, basic application synchronized globalization, and accelerated digitalization in agricultural production. Specifically, the display of manufacturing methods, technology, and field-specific procedures, among others.

Through this event, Binh Dien Fertilizer Joint Stock Company hopes to facilitate Vietnamese farmers' access to current local and foreign technology in a timely and efficient manner. Expand the scope of agricultural application 4.0 and intelligent solutions and technologies concurrently.

The government, ministries, and departments have developed policies and instructions to assist farmers in implementing mechanization in agriculture, as well as financial programs to assist farmers in implementing mechanization in agriculture. In the last decade, MARD has authorized the development of a number of Central agricultural extension projects pertaining to the mechanization of agriculture. These projects have been performed on schedule and have achieved a high level of economic efficiency.

Mr. Vu Trong Bang, the deputy director of Agribank's Credit Policy Department, said that the division is undertaking seven policy credit programs and two national target programs. Agribank has promoted the implementation of many policy credit programs and signed cooperation agreements with agricultural machine groups around the world, such as Tata (India), Yanmar, and Kubota (Japan), in order to create favorable conditions for people to have more resources to invest in expanding production, applying mechanization, and serving agricultural production.

It has contributed to the realization of the Government's strategy on agricultural modernization, which focuses on the growth of agricultural mechanization and high-tech agricultural investment, via these signings.  At the same time, it reaffirms Agribank's leading position in the agricultural and rural loan sector.

The adoption of mechanization in rice cultivation in Can Tho city satisfies the existing production demands of farmers. Most regions of intense rice production have developed service organizations and groups to support the production requirements of farmers, including pumping water, preparing the land, planting, tending, harvesting, and preserving.

Translated by Linh Linh