Rice harvesting with machinery in the Mekong Delta accounts for just 28 percent, or 420,000 hectares, of the 2009-2010 winter-spring crop, the department said.

A combine harvester operates in a field in the Mekong Delta. The Department of Cultivation reported that the delta loses up to 600,000 tons of rice every year because of poor mechanization of agricultural production. (Photo: baocantho)

As for summer-autumn and autumn-winter crops during rainy seasons, the rate is even lower, as rice fields become boggy, lessening the operating capacity of harvesters, said Dr Pham Van Du, deputy head of the department.

As a result, the loss of total yield from the two crops was usually 10-12 percent higher than losses during the winter-spring crop, he said.

Every year, the Mekong Delta loses a total of 580,000-600,000 tons during those two crops, he added.

Many provinces have given financial support to farmers to buy combine harvesters, said Nguyen Thanh Son, deputy chairman of the Can Tho City People’s Committee.

For instance, Long An Province supported farmers with VND10 billion (US$541,400) for agricultural mechanization, increasing the total number of combine harvesters in the province to 800.

However, domestically manufactured combine harvesters presented problems with low availability of spare parts, meaning many farmers turned to more expensive foreign-made machines.

Modernization of post-harvest operations is a crucial factor to improve the quality and competitiveness of Vietnamese rice, so it is necessary to boost investment in manufacturing high-quality agricultural machinery, including harvesters, as soon as possible, Dr. Du said.