Making a fortune from rice farming in the 4.0 era.

One day in mid-September, after many days of incessant rain, taking advantage of the sunny weather, Mr. Chien and his son-in-law took their drone to the field, mixed the chemicals, started the generator, programmed the map of the area to be sprayed, and began spraying pesticides using the drone on their family's large-scale farm.

After completing the initial steps, the machine handles the rest, and Mr. Chien only needs to observe and use the controls when necessary. With the help of the machinery, in one afternoon, he sprayed nearly 100 acres of rice fields, achieving a much higher efficiency than using traditional sprayers.

"Using drones helps reduce the amount of water used to mix pesticides while still ensuring even coverage of the fields, resulting in high efficiency. The drones can be adjusted to fly fast or slow, high or low, according to the operator's wishes. Previously, using traditional sprayers, it took us more than 10 days to spray 100 acres of land, but now it takes less than a day to complete. With the support of machinery, agricultural production has become much easier, and we farmers no longer have to come into direct contact with pesticides," Mr. Chien shared.

In addition to spraying pesticides using drones, Mr. Chien has fully mechanized the entire rice production process. Machinery is used in all stages: land preparation, seedling preparation, transplanting, fertilization, pesticide spraying, harvesting, straw baling, and rice drying, helping to save labor and improve rice yield and quality.

Mr. Chien's family currently cultivates 100 acres of rice fields, but on average, each crop only takes about 20 days to complete all the stages.

Mr. Chien pointed out the advantages of the 4.0 rice farming model: "Applying science and technology, mechanization, ensuring a consistent planting schedule, and creating uniformity in the care process, the rice grows and develops healthily, avoiding risks from weather and diseases, reducing fertilizer and pesticide costs, and minimizing post-harvest losses... As a result, rice yield increases by 25% compared to traditional methods."

Farmers are traditionally seen as hardworking individuals with muddy feet and hands, toiling under the sun and rain, but thanks to his quick adaptation to scientific and technological advancements, Mr. Chien is gradually changing that image.

The elderly farmer now owns 2 rice transplanters, 3 rice harvesters, 2 drones, and 1 rice dryer, ensuring he can handle all farming processes.

Anything new comes with its own set of difficulties and obstacles. Initially, due to his unfamiliarity with machinery, Mr. Chien was somewhat hesitant in operating and manipulating it. For machines he didn't know how to use, he hired someone to operate them and learned from their experience. Taking advantage of his free time, he independently researched and searched for information online, then applied it in practice. Gradually, he mastered all kinds of machines.

To apply synchronized mechanization to rice production, a prerequisite is to cultivate on a large, concentrated model field, forming a large-scale production area. Understanding this, in 2002, Mr. Chien began accumulating and consolidating farmland into large fields for "rice and seed production in the same field".

"Because I rented the land from many different households, the plots had uneven elevations. I had to reorganize and restructure the fields, removing unnecessary field boundaries, building new ones, leveling the land, and thoroughly eliminating weeds, rats, and golden apple snails... from there, I could bring in machinery for tilling, sowing, caring for, controlling pests and diseases, and harvesting," Mr. Chien shared.

From just 5 acres initially, the elderly farmer now owns 100 acres of rice paddies concentrated in Ninh Khang and Ninh My communes (Hoa Lu district) and Khanh An commune (Yen Khanh district), specializing in the production of rice seeds and commercial rice.

Thanks to timely planting and proper care according to technical procedures, rice yields have always been stable. Mr. Chien collaborates with rice production companies to receive technical support and have all his rice seeds and commercial rice purchased under contract, so he doesn't need to worry about the market for each harvest.

The previously abandoned rice paddies, where cultivation was minimal, are now yielding bountiful harvests, and Mr. Chien is confident that he can now become wealthy and achieve sustainable development from rice farming.

Building on this success, he plans to continue accumulating and consolidating more farmland, expanding his farming operations to Yen Khanh district and into Nam Dinh province.

Utilizing the machinery he had acquired, Mr. Chien also provided additional services such as land preparation, planting, pesticide spraying, and harvesting for people within and outside the commune, contributing to increased income for himself and his family.

The effectiveness of Mr. Trinh Viet Chien's 4.0 rice farming model has opened up a new direction in the development of agricultural economy in the locality if the potential of the land is well exploited and appropriate production methods are adopted.

Text and photos: Hong Minh

Source: https://baoninhbinh.org.vn/lam-giau-tu-viec-trong-lua-thoi-4-0/d2023092614555517.htm