A rice harvester is used by farmers in Can Tho during the harvest. (Source: cantho.gov.vn) Can Tho (VNA) – The Republic of Korea (RoK) will provide a non-refundable aid of 99.5 billion VND (4.5 million USD) for a project to help the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho mechanise its agriculture.
Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Truong Quang Hoa Nam on September 7 hosted a meeting to discuss plans to speed up the project, which has a total estimated investment of more than 115 billion VND (5.2 million USD).
The project aims to boost the farming mechanisation in Can Tho and the Mekong Delta region in general, thus increasing productivity and incomes, and reducing losses.
It is expected to begin in 2017 with the RoK side providing agricultural machines and maintenance services, transferring technologies of developing agricultural tools and training agricultural mechanics.
Vice Chairman Nam assigned the city’s management board of ODA projects to work with relevant departments and sectors to complete necessary procedures for the project to be approved and implemented on schedule.
The Mekong Delta boasts the highest rate of agricultural mechanisation in the country, with land preparation reaching 90 percent and harvesting 80 percent. However, the rate is still low in sowing seeds, planting seedlings, removing weeds and spraying pesticides.
According to estimates from experts from the National Agricultural Promotion Centre, mechnisation can cut production costs by up to 2.5 million VND (112 USD) per hectare per crop.-VNA
