Agricultural production accounts for 20.9 per cent of Viet Nam’s gross domestic product (GDP), yet ministry statistics show that only 69 per cent of rice cultivators employ modern equipment to till land while only 49 per cent of other crop producers do so.

In the Mekong River Delta, only 60 per cent of drainage and irrigation works were built by machines while just 32 percent of rice harvesting was undertaken with modern equipment.

Even the rate for rice thrashing was low, with only 85 per cent of the work done by machine.

Mechanisation has been chiefly employed on land tilling, irrigation, thrashing and transportation. Other agricultural processes have been carried out by rudimentary equipment or manually.

According to Ha Duc Ho, Chairman of the Viet Nam Agricultural Mechanic Association, most farm machines in Viet Nam are outdated and in poor condition, some having been imported three decades ago.

Viet Nam has 1,300 outlets selling farm machines and equipment, but only 1,000 mechanic shops to maintain them.

According to Viet Nam Engines and Agricultural Machines, (VEAM), domestically produced farm machines have been unable to compete with Chinese products in terms of both product variety and price.

Domestic farm equipment makes up less than 40 per cent of the domestic market share.

A seminar on the development of farm machines was recently held in Ha Noi by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in co-operation with the Korean Small-Sized Businesses Corporation.

The seminar hosted 300 participants, including representatives from Vietnamese and Korean farm equipment companies, policy makers and researchers. — VNS