Quynh Luu farmers use mechanical transplanters for the first time

Mr. Hoang Van Diep is the first household in Quynh Ba commune to buy a rice transplanter for production in this year's spring crop. He said that in November 2017, after researching on the market about some types of rice transplanters, he realized the superiority of the mechanical rice transplanter, which is both cheap and suitable for any terrain; then he decided to invest in buying one to serve production.

“I bought this mechanical transplanter in Dien Chau district for 4.5 million VND. This is the first crop I have used to serve my family’s production. Through observing the operating process, this machine can transplant 6-7 sao/day, with the labor of 6 people, the cost is also lower than hiring people to transplant” - Mr. Diep shared.

Farmers in Quynh Ba commune (Quynh Luu) check the rice transplanter by hand before going to the field to produce. Photo: Viet Hung

This spring crop, Quynh Ba commune restructured 263 hectares of rice area with Thai Xuyen, Nhi Uu, Thuy Huong varieties... This year in particular, the whole commune has 4 households boldly invested in buying 4 rice transplanters, worth 4.5 - 5 million VND/machine.

To use this mechanical transplanter, households must plant seedlings in the yard or on trays. Accordingly, in addition to the 4 households that have the machine, there are about 30 households in the commune that plant seedlings in the yard.

The mechanical transplanter is very compact, using a rotating chain; on the body of the machine there are 4 sharp points to catch the seedlings from the tray to the field. Photo: Viet Hung

Mr. Dang The Lam - Director of Quynh Ba Agricultural Cooperative said that Quynh Ba is the first commune in the district to use a mechanical transplanter. This machine is made of iron and weighs 16 kg. To operate the machine, when going to the field, there must be a person holding the machine, walking backwards and pulling the lever so that the machine can pick up the seedlings from the tray and put them in the field.

Initially, the 4 households with the machines will use them to plant their own fields, and then other households will hire them to plant. It is expected that these 4 machines will plant over 100 hectares of spring rice this year.

To plant by machine, many households have to plant seedlings in the yard or on trays so that they can be integrated into the process of taking seedlings. Photo: Viet Hung

“Currently, people are planting spring rice in low-lying areas, and it is expected that in about a week, mass planting will begin. Putting the transplanter into production will help free up labor, reduce costs and increase acreage. The locality will promote the practice and invest in transplanters for the next crops,” Mr. Lam added.