Farmer Tu Tan in Thoai Son District of An Giang Province joyfully sold his harvested rice at a price of VND8,800 (US$0.36) per kilo. Owning a large field of 35ha, this is the first time in his 40 years of growing rice that he has sold produce at such a high price.
He happily informed that his winter-spring, summer-fall, and fall-winter rice crops yield 8 tonnes, 7.5 tonnes, and 6 tonnes respectively, reaching a total of 21.5 tonnes per hectare in 2023. He earns a profit of VND100 million ($4,125) a hectare a year. Observing the province’s model of ‘No-Footprint Farming Techniques’, his field produces a much higher output than others following traditional growing methods.
On his field, nearly all planting steps from sowing seeds to spraying fertilizer, pumping water are the responsibilities of machines, including his five drones, each of which is worth VND200-500 million ($8,250-20,630).
Tu Tan also hires four experienced technicians to monitor the machines and offer service to all farmers in Thoai Son area. Their job is to control the drones, capture the surface of the fields in order to program a drone schedule for seed sowing, fertilizer and pesticide spraying. Effectively implementing AI technology, this is why the model is called ‘no footprint’.
In Long An province, agricultural drones are being widely used on 60,000ha of rice fields in the project ‘Building a Hi-tech Production Area’, aiming at changing rice farmers’ awareness and agricultural practices. Participants are encouraged to decrease the density of seed sowing while using fertilizer more logically and choosing organic fertilizer in order to improve crop fertility, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and protect the environment in increasingly complex climate change conditions.
Director Truong Van Phu of Lua Mua Noi Service-Agriculture Cooperative in Vinh Dai Commune of Tan Hung District shared that the use of drones in pesticide spraying helps to reduce the amount, minimize the chance of unintentionally trampling on rice plants, protect farmers’ health, decrease both labor and cost.
At present, about 70 percent of rice fields in Dong Thap Muoi area is using drones for pesticide spraying. This proportion is expected to rise in the near future when the new rice growing model proves to save cost by VND0.5-4.3 million ($20.6-177) while increasing profit by VND1-4.8 million ($41.3-198) a hectare.
Deputy Director of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of An Giang Province Nguyen Thi Giang stated that her province has already launched various programs, projects, and models applying drones in agricultural activities, which have been wholeheartedly welcomed by local farmers and cooperatives. Some have even invested to buy more than 30 drones and seen promising results.
Deputy Director Giang further informed that many provinces in the Mekong Delta have installed smart insect monitoring stations. The provinces of Hau Giang, Soc Trang, and Long An have become models in this aspect.
Being an experienced user of the app Mekong Farm, farmer Van Hung from Long Phu District of Soc Trang Province excitedly shared the usefulness of timely warnings from the app so that he is well aware about the kinds and density of pests on his rice field. He can then select proper pesticides and the best time to spray them.
Hung is one among thousands of farmers in Soc Trang Province benefiting from the establishment of 7 smart insect monitoring systems in the provinces to provide prompt warnings to plant growers. The system consists of light traps placed on fields, a central processing system, and an app to update the status of pests on each field.
A calculation of the quantity of insects, the current temperature and humidity at all light traps via a modern camera system can create and send data to the center in the form of numbers or charts. The data are carefully analyzed to produce suitable warnings in the app so that farmers are well aware of their field’s pest status.
Director Huynh Ngoc Nha of the Soc Trang Province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said that 70 percent of the dwellers in the province are living on farming. Therefore, carrying out digital transformation and implementing advanced technologies in agricultural activities is inevitable here for practical results.
Similarly, the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Long An Province has installed 9 smart systems to help the agriculture sector of the province to timely update the pest status in all fields and deliver corresponding warnings to farmers. The system is able to recognize more than 100 insects. Each station can send one image of the assigned area per hour to the data analysis center. Operating with solar energy, this system can work non-stop and safely.
Director of AgriDrone JSC. Nguyen Van Thien Vu informed that applying drones in rice production and smart watering systems is gradually becoming more popular in the Mekong Delta. Most drones for these tasks are imported with a few being manufactured domestically. The price ranges from VND250-500 million ($10,320-20,630) a pack.
The most advantageous result is the precise and sufficient use of agricultural materials in farming, helping to save irrigation water, pesticide, and fertilizer while controlling residue and thus increasing rice quality.
In addition, the use of drones allows minimal contact of farmers to pesticides, protecting their health and living environment.
Finally, these drones help solve the problem of labor shortages in the Mekong Delta as many young adults here have opted to work in industrial parks in large cities.
