Drones and green fields at the foot of Nam Blang volcano

The vast Buon Choah rice fields are the large rice granary of Dak Nong province.

Rice fields at the foot of the volcano

Buôn Chóah field is located at the foot of the famous Nam Blang volcano. The weather here is harsh, and people have encountered many difficulties in production. Since applying science and mechanization to the production of specialty rice varieties, rice care has become more convenient and more effective, and people's lives have turned a new page.

After many years of growing rice in the Buon Choah fields, the family economy of Mr. Duong Van Luc, Ninh Giang village, has become rich. Mr. Luc said: if you grow rice in the traditional way, at best, you will only have enough to eat. Bringing specialty rice varieties into production according to VietGAP standards has outstandingly high economic value. Cultivating 9 hectares of rice land, each crop my family harvests about 90 tons of rice, after deducting costs, each hectare of rice earns a profit of 45 million VND. Compared to many other crops, rice here is giving farmers the highest economic value.

According to the report, Buon Choah field has an area of ​​over 700 hectares, not only is it the key food area of ​​Dak Nong province, but also one of the largest rice-growing areas in the Central Highlands. This is also the place where specialty rice varieties with high economic value are produced. Rice has brought a prosperous life to the people here, many households have become rich from rice.

In January 2021, the People's Committee of Dak Nong province recognized the Buon Choah rice production area as one of the three high-tech agricultural production areas of the province. This has created an important premise for the "Buon Choah Rice" brand to reach domestic and international consumers.

Drones spray pesticides and take care of rice fields in Buon Choah

Mr. Doan Gia Loc, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Krong No district, said: The average rice yield here is about 10 tons/ha, compared to the general level, the yield and quality of Buon Choah rice is much higher. Farmers are also gradually adapting and proactively applying scientific and technical advances in production. Buon Choah rice is asserting its position in the market day by day. Up to now, Buon Choah commune has built its own brand "Buon Choah Rice" associated with the UNESCO Global Geopark Dak Nong - Krong No volcanic cave system.

Bringing modern technology into agricultural production

Driving on the flat concrete road, through the vast green rice fields, we felt like we were lost in the sky of the "5-ton homeland".

After many years of growing rice in the Buon Choah fields, in 2023, Mr. Nguyen Van Duc in Nam Son village spent 500 million VND to buy a drone to take care of his family's rice and provide services when people needed.

Mr. Duc shared: I see many places where people apply many types of modern machinery in production. Here, the rice fields are large, suitable for using drones, so I researched and ordered them for use. Practicing according to the instructions, I soon became proficient in using this device. Previously, I sprayed pesticides for a whole day per hectare of rice, using a drone to spray only takes 15 minutes. The larger the field, the more cost-effective and time-saving spraying by drone is compared to the traditional spraying method.

"Using a plane to take care of rice fields really brings much higher efficiency in rice care. In particular, up to now, the location, area and shape of the fields have been digitized and displayed on the plane's control device, making spraying even more convenient. We just need to pour the medicine into the tank, then take off. The entire spraying process will be done automatically," Mr. Duc excitedly informed.

Mr. Nguyen Van Duc boldly invested in a drone to both take care of his family's rice and spray services for local people.

Not only serving his family, Mr. Duc also took on spraying pesticides to care for rice for many other households. With the price of 35,000 VND/sao, on average I sprayed 6-7 hectares per day, his family had extra income.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Xuyen said: In addition to sowing, each rice crop I spray 4-5 times including weed killer, germination stimulant and disease prevention. Each spraying session used to take half a day, now it only takes more than 1 hour, the rice is green and lush all over the field. Spraying by plane has many benefits, saving costs, labor, care time, and farmers limit exposure to plant protection chemicals. Using airplanes also increases the effectiveness of chemicals and fertilizers, helping rice plants grow better.

Mr. Doan Gia Loc, Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Krong No district, shared: Over the past years, farmers in Buon Choah commune have boldly invested in modern equipment for production. Currently, the whole commune has 2 drones, contributing to increasing production efficiency, especially limiting farmers' exposure to chemicals. Up to now, the whole commune has about 70% of the rice area using drones for care.

Not only rice, farmers also use drones to take care of other crops very effectively such as coffee, durian, and pepper.

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Source: https://baodantoc.vn/may-bay-khong-nguoi-lai-va-nhung-canh-dong-xanh-ngat-duoi-chan-chan-nui-lua-nam-blang-1724507924582.htm