Economy

During harvest season, straw baling services in Nghe An province are overwhelmed with work.

Huy Thu • September 1, 2024 07:33

This harvest season, straw baling machines in many fields in Nghe An province are operating continuously day and night. The straw baling service is making a lot of money thanks to the demand for straw collection from farmers.

bna_1(3).jpg — These days, people in Thanh Chuong, Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen... are harvesting their summer-autumn rice crop. Collecting straw from the fields after harvesting is a laborious task for farmers, but now straw baling machines are available to assist. The straw baling service is bustling in the fields. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_2(5).jpg — Straw baling machines typically operate from noon to afternoon and night (because the straw is still drying in the morning). These machines are essentially field threshing machines with a straw baling attachment at the rear (costing around 40-45 million VND). Currently, field threshing machines in various localities are fitted with straw baling attachments to provide straw collection services during the harvest season. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_3(2).jpg — The straw baling machine operates quite simply. Straw is sucked up by a front-mounted gear mechanism. The gears feed the straw into the machine, where it is then rolled up, compressed tightly by the roller, securely tied with string, and released from the back of the machine. The machine's capacity ranges from 50 to 70 bales per hour. Each rented straw staking area can yield 15 to 20 bales. Each bale weighs approximately 15 kg. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_4..jpg — Mr. Nguyen Sy Dan, from Thanh Luong commune (Thanh Chuong district), who was transporting straw in the fields, said: After each harvest, his family collects the straw to store as animal feed. Compared to manual collection, using a machine is much faster; all the straw can be collected in just one morning. The straw is also bundled into bunches, making it very easy to transport home. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_5(3).jpg — Farmers contract to rent straw baling machines right in the fields and pay after the baling is complete. Mr. Tran Van Hai, a straw baling machine operator in Xuan Tuong commune, shared: "There are 5 straw baling machines in my commune, and this harvest season, they're all working continuously. Wherever people call, we go; many days we have to work until 9 or 10 PM before we can rest. My machine bales 300-400 bundles of straw a day. It's tiring work during harvest season, but it's profitable," Mr. Hai said. (Photo: Huy Thu)

This harvest season, the demand for straw baling in the fields has increased significantly among local farmers. Everyone wants to collect the straw quickly to avoid the rain, so the straw baling machines are overwhelmed. After the harvest, people gather in the fields waiting for the baling machines. In some places, arguments and disputes have occurred as people vie for the baling machines. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_7(1).jpg — Mr. Van Anh Hien from Thanh Khai commune (Thanh Chuong district) said: His family cultivates two rice fields with an area of 4 sao (approximately 0.4 hectares). The rice is harvested in the morning, and the straw is dried in the sun until crispy, but they have to wait until late afternoon for the baling machine from Ngoc Son commune to arrive. According to Mr. Hien, once the straw is dry, everyone wants to bale it quickly to bring it home. Leaving it in the field where it rains is very difficult; they have to spread the straw out to dry again, which is both time-consuming and expensive, and the straw is not as "good" anyway. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_8(1).jpg — Before the advent of machinery, collecting straw was quite arduous for farmers, and if it rained, the straw had to be discarded due to damage. Using straw collection services helps farmers free up labor, shorten the time, and allows them to race against the weather and meet the production schedule for the winter crop. Photo: Huy Thu

Thanks to the straw baling service, straw collection in the fields is quick. Many households that raise a lot of buffalo and cattle also take advantage of this opportunity to bring cars and ox carts to collect straw. The price for baled straw in the fields is 30,000 VND/bundle. Many households that do not raise buffalo or cattle can sell the straw for money. Photo: Huy Thu

Mr. Phan Van Lam, from Trang Tho hamlet, Xuan Tuong commune (Thanh Chuong district), said: His family cultivates 8 sao (approximately 0.8 hectares) of rice and hired a rice baling machine for 1.2 million VND, which yielded over 120 bundles. He sold 80 bundles for 2.4 million VND to cover expenses, and gave the remaining 40 bundles to relatives to take home as feed for their buffaloes and cows. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_11(1).jpg — People are rushing to transport neatly baled straw, dried in the sun, back home to store as animal feed. Farmers say that although it costs an additional 130,000-200,000 VND per sao (a unit of land measurement) to bale the straw, it saves them time and effort, allows for faster collection, avoids rain, enables them to sell the straw for cash, and prevents the burning of straw which pollutes the environment. The harvest season also presents a business opportunity for those providing straw baling services using machines, earning 3-5 million VND per machine per day. (Photo: Huy Thu)

Straw balers are busy working in the harvest field. Video: Huy Thu

During harvest season, straw baling services in Nghe An province are overwhelmed with work.

harvest

straw baler

summer-autumn crop

See more about Economics

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During harvest season, straw baling services in Nghe An province are overwhelmed with work.

harvest

straw baler

summer-autumn crop

See more about Economics

Read more

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