Harvesters brave the sun and work through the night to harvest the rice.

While driving a combine harvester in the field, Mr. Cao Xuan Tuan, residing in Ngoc Son commune (Thanh Chuong district), said that this harvest season he had just bought a used combine harvester for 200 million VND to offer harvesting services to local farmers.

Despite the heat, combine harvesters operate continuously in the fields, helping farmers harvest their rice on time. Photo: Huy Thu

This is a threshing machine (cutting the rice close to the roots and dropping the straw in straight rows), so only one driver and one assistant are needed for unloading. The first week of using the machine in the field was quite a few problems; one night the machine broke down in the middle of the field, and it took almost a whole day to repair it.

Like Mr. Tuan, Mr. Hoang Dinh Hue, a resident of the same commune, bought a used combine harvester, but it was a Kubota type that crushes straw. To operate this machine, Mr. Hue hired three workers (one to operate the machine, two to bag the rice) while he moved along the embankment to check the fields and guide the harvesting.

Workers are constantly busy to keep up with the season. Photo: Huy Thu

To date, this harvest season in Ngoc Son commune has seen the introduction of four harvesting machines purchased by local residents for commercial purposes. In addition, many other harvesting machines have been brought in from other areas, all operating busily in the fields. Farmers no longer have to worry about shortages.reaperLike in previous years.

It can be said that the number of combine harvesters in the fields of Nghe An has increased rapidly in recent years, meaning that the number of people working as hired harvesters is also increasing. During the 2023 spring rice harvest, it is estimated that each district in Thanh Chuong, Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen, Do Luong, Yen Thanh, etc., had dozens of combine harvesters in operation.

In the past, some households bought combine harvesters but faced difficulties and had to sell them. Many others, however, persevered through the initial challenges and decided to stick with the profession. According to the harvesters, there are currently many different types of combine harvesters on the market, and depending on the intended use, they can purchase machines with 50, 70, or 95 horsepower.

Many combine harvesters worked through the night. Photo: Huy Thu

With the demand for contract harvesting, combine harvesters operate at high intensity, requiring the purchase of high-quality machines. Currently, highly-rated combine harvester brands among harvesters are those originating from Japan, such as Kubota and Yanmar.

Most new combine harvesters typically cost between 500 and 900 million VND per unit. Buying a new machine offers a longer warranty and, naturally, fewer minor breakdowns. Buying a used machine can save money; an investment of 100-250 million VND is usually sufficient for a machine used for contract harvesting. However, used machines are more prone to malfunctions, leading to costly repairs during use.

In the harvesting business, combine harvesters only operate twice a year, during the spring and summer-autumn seasons, each time for about 10-15 days. The rest of the time, the harvesters are "covered with tarpaulins and waiting." Therefore, during the harvest season, the machine owners always try to operate at full capacity. After harvesting the village fields, they will venture out to other communes and districts within the province, or even to distant provinces to continue their work.

Harvesting machines are being transported across localities using tow trucks. Photo: Huy Thu.

Mr. Nguyen Tat Huynh, a combine harvester owner in My Son commune (Do Luong district), said: "This harvest season, after finishing harvesting the fields in my locality, I moved my machine to Thanh Chuong and Nam Dan districts: 'Wherever there are fields and people need harvesting, I go. The harvest season passes very quickly, so we have to make the most of every day.'"

Currently, due to a shortage of combine harvesters in the province, and with the harvest season arriving simultaneously and the demand for rice harvesting from farmers high, many combine harvesters from the South and North have flocked to Nghe An to offer their services. They usually contact locals in advance to arrange accommodation, meals, and land for harvesting. These "middlemen" typically receive a commission of 12,000 to 20,000 VND per sao (a unit of land measurement).

Mr. Nguyen Trong Diep from Thanh Lien commune (Thanh Chuong district) said that for this harvest season, he brought a group of four combine harvesters from Hai Duong to his hometown to work for over a week now. This is the second time this group of machines has come to Nghe An. After harvesting the fields in the locality, these combine harvesters moved to Tao Son commune (Anh Son district). The cost of transporting the combine harvesters by truck and tow truck was quite expensive. According to Mr. Diep, transporting the four combine harvesters from Hai Duong to Nghe An cost more than 20 million VND, and from Thanh Chuong to Anh Son cost nearly 5 million VND.

During harvest season, a combine harvester breaking down in the field is a major loss for the owner. Photo: Huy Thu

Harvesting the spring rice crop amidst scorching heat and warnings of heavy rain means the machines have to operate continuously, working under the sun and through the night. During the day, machine operators and baggers work through lunchtime, regardless of the 39-40°C heat, sometimes eating quickly or skipping meals in the fields.

In the early days of the harvest, the rice ripens sporadically, and the combine harvesters operate at a slow pace. When the rice ripens fully, the combine harvesters all go into operation, harvesting continuously day and night. At this time, any combine harvester malfunction or breakdown represents a significant loss for the owner.

Mr. Nguyen Dang Thuan from Ngoc Son commune (Thanh Chuong district) said that while harvesting in the field at 2 am, his group's machine broke down and it took until noon to repair. Half a day of repairs, running back and forth, was spent exhausting the machine, and by the time it was back up and running, the surrounding fields had almost been harvested.

The harvesters gathered to repair the machines on the spot, trying to fix them as quickly as possible. Photo: Huy Thu

Mr. Bui Van Hung, a machine owner from Hai Duong province, shared: "When a machine breaks down, the owner and the operator have to crawl and roll around in the fields for hours, even day and night, to repair it. It's not only hard work, but also expensive."

For example, when harvesting with steel rods, the machine's blades easily break. If it's a rotary harvesting machine, each set of blades costs 2 million VND to replace, while for a rotary harvesting machine it costs nearly 6 million VND. There are harvesting machines from distant provinces that break down severely as soon as they start working in the fields, and even after a week of repairs, the owners not only lose money but also lack the funds to transport the machines back to their hometowns…

The job of harvesting for hire also carries many dangers, especially operating machines on small, high rice paddies. Carelessness in controlling the machine's forward and backward movement to enter the field can lead to workplace accidents, resulting in the machine overturning, being damaged, and causing injuries or even death to the driver and assistants. For example, the most recent case involved a machine overturning at the beginning of the harvest season in Thanh Thuy commune, resulting in the death of a combine harvester owner from Thanh Chi commune (Thanh Chuong district).

Repairs sometimes take hours, even a whole day, to complete. Photo: Huy Thu

Despite the hard work, difficulties, expense, and danger involved, the job of harvesting crops for hire provides a decent income. According to the "harvesters," in mountainous areas with small fields and difficult access, a single harvesting machine, working diligently, can harvest 5-8 acres per day. In flat areas with easier access, the machine can harvest even more.

At a price of 200,000 VND per sao (a unit of land measurement), each combine harvester earns 10-15 million VND per day, with fuel costs accounting for approximately 1.5-2 million VND. Operators are typically paid around 1 million VND per day, while those who bag the rice earn 500,000 VND per day. The harvest season not only provides rice for farmers but also generates income for many combine harvesters both within and outside the province.