The story of an engineer with the mission of 'solving problems' for farmers

Passion for agriculture

Born in Dien Chau district, but having lived and worked in Quy Hop district for a long time, Cao Chien Thuat and his family depend on sugarcane and their garden, so more than anyone else, this young man born in 1991 understands the hardships and difficulties of farmers when they depend on agricultural production for their livelihood. Loving and passionate about agriculture, Cao Chien Thuat passed the entrance exam to study Crop Science at Hanoi University of Agriculture.

Engineer Cao Chien Thuat (in white shirt) checks the pest situation and guides people on how to eradicate pests in the sugarcane growing area of ​​Nghia Mai commune, Nghia Dan district. Photo: NVCC

During his student days, Cao Chien Thuat equipped himself with knowledge about plants through long field trips, eating and staying with people in localities across the country. Wherever he went, he paid attention to sugarcane with its characteristics, fertilization methods, and harvesting process.

In 2015, Cao Chien Thuat applied for Nghe An Sugarcane Company Limited and was assigned to work in the Research and Development department. This was an opportunity for the young engineer to demonstrate his abilities, support and stay with sugarcane growers for a long time.

Thuat and his department are tasked with testing sugarcane varieties, building local sugarcane development models, and transferring scientific and technical advances to help farmers increase productivity and profits at the lowest possible cost. This is a difficult job, requiring experience and solid professional knowledge.

Seeing sugarcane grow healthily and achieve high productivity is the joy and motivation for engineer Cao Chien Thuat and his colleagues to strive to accompany farmers every day. Photo: NVCC

At that time, sugarcane growers in Quy Hop and Nghia Dan districts were still cultivating old varieties such as MY 5514, QD 93-159 or ROC 10. Over time, these sugarcane varieties gradually revealed many shortcomings such as low productivity, reduced sugar content, root retention time of only 2-3 years and susceptibility to pests and diseases.

This situation has caused many difficulties for sugarcane growers. Some households have even destroyed sugarcane to plant other crops. In addition, the experimental sugarcane variety KK3, although highly anticipated by many when put into mass production, has not achieved the desired results.

Engineer Cao Chien Thuat (2nd from right) received the 2022 Creative Labor Certificate awarded by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Faced with that reality, the Company's Board of Directors was extremely concerned and assigned Thuat's Research and Development Department to find solutions to overcome the above situation. With practical experience and acquired knowledge, Cao Chien Thuat realized that this sugarcane variety itself has many advantages and is suitable for the conditions of the mountainous districts of Nghe An.

However, the time of harvest and the method of fertilizing to bring high efficiency to the cultivated areas are not scientific. From this assessment, Thuat and his colleagues directly planted and researched the KK3 sugarcane variety in the company's growing area. After 2 years of hard work on his project, engineer Cao Chien Thuat found the solution to the problem of improving the process of caring for this sugarcane variety. From there, he accompanied the people to transfer science and technology, step by step guiding farmers on the optimal solution in caring for and harvesting crops to bring maximum benefits.

Certificate of Creative Labor in 2022 awarded by the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor to engineer Cao Chien Thuat. Photo: Thanh Quynh

Thanks to that, in recent years, the KK3 sugarcane variety has achieved an average yield of 80 - 100 tons per hectare of cultivation. Even in some areas in the alluvial areas of Nghia Thinh commune (Nghia Dan), the yield has reached 160 tons per hectare. The ability to retain the roots has reached 5 - 6 years. The cost of each sugarcane planting is very high, so achieving such a long root retention time has brought great joy to farmers. Looking at the smiles and bumper sugarcane harvests of the people, Cao Chien Thuat feels relieved. Because he has fulfilled the wishes that he promised himself right from the beginning of his career.

The research project of engineer Cao Chien Thuat and his colleagues won the A prize in the 2021 Innovation Competition organized by Nghe An Sugarcane Company Limited. At the same time, this is also an important contribution that helped him receive the Creative Labor Certificate in 2022 from the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor.

The person who specializes in "troubleshooting" farmers

Cao Chien Thuat confided that in the early days of his job, when he went to the growing areas to advise and transfer scientific and technical advances to the people, many farmers were still hesitant and afraid to discuss when they saw his young age. Besides, many sugarcane growers still maintained traditional farming methods and were not interested in applying scientific and technical advances. Therefore, he had to be patient and approach them, often going to the models to enthusiastically guide and thoroughly explain the practical benefits of applying new advances in production.

Thanks to his gardening and wading through the fields, Cao Chien Thuat was able to grasp the thoughts and aspirations of the people and make recommendations to the company to find solutions. Over time, Cao Chien Thuat gradually gained the trust of the people and was called by a very familiar name: "Engineer who solves problems for farmers".

Engineer Cao Chien Thuat (middle) and colleagues at the KK3 sugarcane cultivation area. Photo: Provided by the character

That “untangling” was most evident in the 2018 sugarcane crop in the sugarcane growing area of ​​Nghia Thinh commune (Nghia Dan). That year, after nearly 2 months of harvesting the KK3 sugarcane cultivation area without seeing any sugarcane sprouts, the people were very worried. Thinking that the sugarcane variety had problems and could not continue to keep the roots, many people were very sad and intended to destroy this area. If they destroyed it, they would spend a large amount of money to invest in the new crop when the root retention period had not yet ended. And even sadder, it was a rejection of a quality sugarcane variety like KK3.

Immediately after learning about the situation, Cao Chien Thuat immediately went to the sugarcane growing area of ​​the people to clarify the characteristics of this sugarcane variety. At the same time, he analyzed the reasons why the plants sprouted slowly to find a solution. Along with that, he and his colleagues committed that these areas could continue to keep the roots. And then, joy came, after nearly 3 months of waiting, the sugarcane areas were covered with green by lush young shoots. That sugarcane crop continued to be successful, bringing in a yield of over 100 tons per hectare. Thanks to the engineer's guidance, technical support and "diagnosis" of many diseases that harm the sugarcane, the people are increasingly confident in cultivating.

After a series of days working with sugarcane growers, Cao Chien Thuat confided: "After a crop, whether successful or unsuccessful, farmers always believe in a new beginning. That belief gives me more motivation to contribute every day with the people on this land."