Nghe An strengthens management and limits protectionism of harvesters

Harvesters operating in Duc Son fields must ensure the correct listed price. Photo: Thanh Phuc

This year's Spring crop, the entire Duc Son commune (Anh Son) has 270 hectares of rice, with difficult terrain and many narrow fields, making it very difficult to harvest, especially mobilizing harvesters for people. Therefore, there are years when harvester brokers inflate prices, forcing people to accept harvesting at 200,000 - 230,000 VND/sao; in addition, there are fields that are far away and have poor quality, and people are refused to harvest.

This year, about 3 weeks before the harvest, the commune held a meeting with the people, grasped their aspirations, and at the same time, studied the price of harvester services based on the decrease in gasoline prices to build a suitable harvest price frame. Accordingly, the harvest price is 170,000 VND/sao (harvesting 2/3 of the stalk); and for swampy fields and fallen rice, the price will be adjusted further.within the range of 20,000-30,000 VND/sao.

Harvester owners commit to harvesting at the listed price and are subject to the management of the commune police regarding security and order issues during the harvesting process. Photo: Thanh Phuc

After that, the listed price is widely announced to all people, posted on the social networking sites managed by the commune; a hotline is set up under the Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee to receive and promptly handle information and recommendations on harvester prices and harvester operations in the area.

Mr. Tran Van Huy - Vice Chairman of Duc Son Commune People's Committee said: "Currently, the harvest season is in full swing, the whole commune has about 10 harvesters operating in the area at the listed price. Harvester owners who are from outside the commune when coming to harvest in Duc Son fields all register temporary residence, sign a commitment to harvest at the listed price, and are under the management of the commune police regarding security and order issues during the harvest. Working groups including agricultural officers, cooperatives, and police also regularly stay in the fields to control, manage, and grasp the situation of the harvesters' operations, helping people to most conveniently harvest spring rice."

Localities widely posted information on strengthening the management of harvester services. Screenshot: Thanh Phuc

In Nghi Lam (Nghi Loc), before the harvest season, based on the registration of people for machine harvesting services with the hamlet, the commune then counts and summarizes the quantity, the cooperative contacts and connects with harvester owners in the localities to call machines to the fields to harvest spring rice for people based on the agreed price, through the people's prior agreement.

Currently, the harvest season is in full swing, rice in many localities is ripening simultaneously, the harvest progress is urgent, so in many places there is a shortage of harvesters. It is worth noting that this year, although the shortage of harvesters has occurred in some localities, the situation of protection and price gouging for harvester services has been limited.

Harvesters work at night to keep up with the spring harvest. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Before the harvest season, most localities have documents and widely announced on the commune and hamlet radio system about the management of harvesters. Accordingly, the authorities coordinate with the commune police to request harvester owners or citizens in the area to bring harvesters to the commune to harvest rice, work directly with the Commune People's Committee to register the number of machines, harvest fields, list harvest prices, and commit to ensuring security and order with the Commune Police; ensure environmental sanitation, ensure road traffic safety during the harvest season. If roads, canals, ditches, bridges, culverts, etc. are damaged, they must be responsible for repairs.

At the same time, work with the Party Committee and the Executive Committee of the hamlets to make specific contracts for rice harvesting for the hamlets and the people; Strictly prohibit acts of protection, price increase for harvesting, threshing, plowing services or acts of disturbing security and order in the commune. Any intentional violation will be handled according to regulations.

People are excited when the fields are harvested quickly, in time to prepare the land for summer-autumn planting. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Mr. Ngo Quang Phan, a field leader in Hung Nguyen said: "Although we have connected with machines in the North and mobilized dozens of machines from the South, because people are harvesting at the same time, we cannot meet the needs of the people. However, we still fulfill our commitment to the communes, which is to harvest the first ripened area first, only move to the field after the field is gone, do not choose fields, do not exclude bad fields or muddy fields."

According to Mr. Phan, with the strict and transparent management of the localities, the harvester owners are very secure; they no longer have to worry about fighting over territory and losing security and order as happened before. In particular, with this way of doing things, the people are very sympathetic and excited.

Mr. Le Dinh Quy, a resident in Hung My commune (Hung Nguyen) said: "Working on more than one hectare of rice field, if in previous crops, we had to run around, waiting for the harvester, there were rice fields left in the field but there was still no harvester, but this year, in two days, the family finished harvesting, taking advantage of the sunny weather to dry them."