Rice farmers face less labor, less profit: Mechanization challenge

Drones covering the fields

From manual spraying, the entire rice area of the Rach Lop Agricultural Cooperative (Hung Hoa Commune, Vinh Long Province) is now sprayed using unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). This change marks a clear transition in production organization, as mechanization gradually replaces traditional cultivation methods.

Mr. Kim Minh Tuan, Director of the Rach Lop Agricultural Cooperative, said the cooperative currently has 519 members with a total area of about 350 hectares of rice. Over the past years, the cooperative has actively provided services such as internal credit, commercial rice purchasing, and production mechanization, from land preparation and seeding to harvesting.

Among these, the introduction of unmanned aerial vehicles into production since 2022 is viewed as a prominent step forward. The cooperative currently operates 3 drones to provide services for local farmers. Drones were quickly embraced by farmers thanks to their clear efficiency. While farmers previously used about 200 kg of seed/ha, the amount is now only about 80 kg/ha, significantly lowering input costs. The volume of water used for spraying has also decreased from about 200 liters/ha to just 20-30 liters/ha.

Beyond saving materials, spraying time is also significantly shortened from 3-4 hours down to 10-15 minutes/ha. Spraying by drone helps chemicals disperse evenly and at correct dosages, enhancing pest control efficiency. Currently, 100% of the cooperative members' area uses drones for spraying, and about 30% of the area applies them for seeding.

Mechanization not only reduces manual labor but also limits risks for farmers by avoiding direct exposure to crop protection chemicals. According to Mr. Thach Bien, a cooperative member in Trung Tien Hamlet, the cost to hire a drone for spraying is about 15,000 VND per workday (1,000 m²), lower than hiring manual labor for hand-spraying at about 25,000 VND per workday.

"Doing rice farming now is so much easier than before; almost no manual work is left except for replanting missing rice seedlings," Mr. Bien shared.

Alongside mechanization, Rach Lop Agricultural Cooperative is also promoting the application of digital technology in production management. The entire farming process, from land preparation and sowing to harvesting, is managed through software, ensuring transparent information and enhancing traceability.

The paradox of "less physical labor, but not rich yet"

Although applying synchronized mechanization into production has helped cut costs, lessen manual labor, and boost yields, farmers report that rising input costs, such as fertilizers, crop protection chemicals, and fuel, remain a major hurdle. Land preparation costs around 120,000 VND/workday for tilling, plus another 70,000 VND/workday for leveling and water leveling; machine harvesting costs about 250,000 VND/workday. In each crop, farmers must spray at least 7 times to control pests, diseases, and weeds.

Notably, fertilizer prices at times exceeded 1 million VND per bag, causing total production costs to surge sharply, estimated between 3 and 3.5 million VND per workday.

With yields around 700 kg/workday and paddy prices at only 5,600-5,700 VND/kg, farmers are left with a profit of only a few hundred thousand VND per workday after deducting expenses.

"The work is much easier, but income now isn't necessarily better because paddy prices are low while inputs have surged. In the past, we could make a 30% profit; now it's only about 15%," Mr. Bien said.

According to Mr. Kim Minh Tuan, applying mechanization and technology helps boost rice yield by about 2-3%. With winter-spring crop yields reaching 7-8 tons/ha and paddy prices around 6,000 VND/kg, profit can reach 12-20 million VND/ha. However, amidst fluctuating paddy prices and high input costs, economic efficiency remains unstable.

Rice mechanization in Vietnam is high at the start and end of the production chain, achieving near 100% in land preparation and over 95% in harvesting, particularly in the Mekong River Delta. However, intermediate stages like sowing, crop care, and storage lag behind, relying heavily on imported machinery.

The reality at Rach Lop Cooperative demonstrates that mechanization is an inevitable direction helping farmers lessen physical toil and raise production efficiency. However, for rice growers to earn sustainable profits, additional synchronized solutions are required to stabilize material prices, elevate the value of rice grains, and strengthen consumption linkages.

$ 1 = VND 26,460 - Source: Vietcombank.