Quynh Luu aims to build a 'footprint-free' field

Planting rice in the fields of Quynh Tam Tam commune - Quynh Luu. Photo: Hong Dien.

The entire mountainous commune of Quynh Tam - Quynh Luu has 320 hectares of rice production. However, most of the area is terraced fields, highlands, sandy soil... Therefore, in each crop season, farmers invest a lot of costs and care, but the rice yield is still not as high as in the plain communes of the district.

Besides, in recent years, the locality has only applied mechanization in land preparation and rice harvesting, the remaining stages still follow traditional manual methods.

In the 2023 spring rice crop, Quynh Tam Agricultural Cooperative has built a model and tested mechanized production on the entire 10 hectares of terraced fields with sandy soil of 80 households in Hamlet 6 from the stages of: land preparation, sowing, transplanting, spraying pesticides with drones until harvesting.

10 hectares of rice fields in Trieu Ba field of village 6, Quynh Tam commune have up to 90% of the production steps, people do not have to get their hands dirty. Photo: Hong Dien

This farming method helps farmers reduce labor, save costs and increase crop productivity on the same field. Thereby, gradually moving towards building a “footprint-free” field.

Looking at the rice fields full of golden rice, with an expected yield of 3.7 to nearly 4 quintals/sao, Ms. Truong Thi Lam in village 6, Quynh Tam commune happily shared: Participating in the model, her family has an area of ​​2 sao, so 90% of the production steps, she does not have to get her hands dirty because there are machines that completely replace human labor.

The most important advantage is the application of machine transplanting because the rice clumps are evenly spaced, ensuring density, the plants easily absorb light, so they grow very evenly, beautifully and produce twice as many tillers as when transplanted by hand. In particular, in the past, she had to carry a pump to spray herbicides and prevent and treat rice grain sterility, but this spring, Quynh Tam Agricultural Cooperative brought in drones remotely controlled by smartphones to spray pesticides on members' rice fields, so it was fast, even and effective.

Mr. Truong Dac Phu - Head of Village 6 said: 10 hectares of rice production in Trieu Ba field of Village 6 is not fertile and the production is done manually, so families have to invest a lot of effort and spend nearly 1.5 million VND/sao. However, the highest yield of the annual spring rice crop is only 3 quintals/sao.

For the 2023 rice crop, thanks to the application of machinery and technology to synchronous cultivation in the field, farmers can save 160,000 - 200,000 VND per sao. Cultivation is both healthy and effective, with high productivity.

Rice yield in the model is 30 - 40 kg/sao higher than other fields in Quynh Tam commune. Photo: Hong Dien

According to the survey and evaluation results of Quynh Tam Agricultural Cooperative, the rice plants in the model have large, flat ears, bright and even grains, and a yield of 70 - 74 quintals/ha. Typically, the highest yield is up to nearly 4 quintals/sao, 30 - 40kg of rice/sao higher than other fields in the commune. Before a bumper crop season where for the first time farmers do not have to endure the rain or the sun, people are very excited about the new and scientific policies and methods of the locality.

Right from the beginning of the season, the cooperative has implemented winter-spring rice production according to the district's crop calendar. During the growth of the plants, the cooperative has organized two rounds of spraying pesticides using drones. This method helps members save 15,000 - 20,000 VND/sao compared to hiring workers to spray pesticides manually.

Discussing the production orientation in the coming time, Mr. Truong Van Phuc - Director of Quynh Tam Agricultural Cooperative shared: "In order to continue promoting the achieved results, in the summer-autumn crop of 2023, the unit will continue to expand the model by 10 hectares and introduce transplanting machines, apply technology, and make the most of smart devices in the fields. At the same time, the structure of 100% planting fragrant sticky rice seeds is associated with product consumption for members, helping people feel secure in developing production and being more attached to the fields".