Mechanization and postharvest technologies in the rice sector of Vietnam

Field mechanization patterns in the rice sector of Vietnam are different for the Mekong Delta (MRD) and other agricultural regions due to differences in field sizes. The MRD as the main rice-exporting area of Vietnam is more advanced with mechanized equipment; thus discussions are more focused as experience for other regions. Laser land leveling have been applied as an advanced technique for a sustainable agriculture. Postharvest technologies for rice in Vietnam are described from harvesting, drying, storage, and milling. Specifically in the MRD, in the past 10 years harvesting by combines has increased at a very fast rate. Paddy drying is mostly done with the flat-bed dryer, with first units introduced in in early 1980s, and in 2014 takes care of about half of the harvested paddy in the MRD. The trend is toward central drying plants of 1000 t per day, using a combination of column dryers and fluidized-bed dryers. Rice milling machinery made by local manufacturers is probably of world-class; still, milled rice quality is low due to prior operations such as mixed cultivars and improper drying.