One of the major barriers is
still farmers' awareness and interest in production 4.0. To change this, it is
necessary to have solutions to build human resources, especially young and
qualified workers in rural areas to approach the 4.0 revolution.
The team of engineers working at a high-tech
agricultural enterprise in Long Thanh District are well-trained. Photo: Phan
Anh
Synchronized, modern technology and machinery
People’s Teacher, Doctor Phan Hieu Hien, Former Director of
the Center for Energy and Agricultural Machinery, University of Agriculture and
Forestry in Ho Chi Minh City assessed that the land is currently being eroded
and degraded, and water resources are increasingly depleted. To fundamentally solve
this problem, manual labor is no longer suitable, but machines must be put into
production; at the same time, it is necessary to apply more high technologies
in production to protect land and water resources and increase crop
productivity. This is also one of the necessary conditions of the 4.0
revolution.
The biggest difficulty of
mechanization in agriculture in Vietnam is that it is not invested in research
in a systematic and methodical way, so many farmers have to invent machines and
equipment themselves. It is time for basic research to develop mechanization in
a synchronous manner, not inferior in technology compared to other countries in
the world and must be carried out by the State together with enterprises with
long-term investment rather than the science topics are mainly on
paper.
Another barrier, mechanization
has not been bigger than the household scale because
fields and gardens in Vietnam are still fragmented and small. The State and
localities must implement more thoroughly the construction of specialized
farming areas, really large fields, applying modern technology and machinery to
produce products of uniform quality, low cost and competitive price in the
world market.
With the same opinion, Dr. Dao Ha
Trung, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Association, President of
Te-food International (HCMC), said that in order for Vietnamese agricultural
production to approach the 4.0 revolution, it is necessary to find solutions
quickly applying the latest technologies.
In particular, for many years,
Te-food International has cooperated with Dong Nai Province to implement the
Te-food program. This is a large system, applying 4.0 technologies such as:
blockchain, artificial intelligence, big data analysis, internet of things, etc. Blockchain technology can replace papers, no need for
stamps, signature, etc. The information is on the cloud system, anyone can
control the information through a connected mobile device, ensuring the
transparency of each stage in the production chain from food to table. My wish
is to apply 4.0 technology to effectively trace the origin of livestock and
agricultural products at the cheapest price. Consumers around the world can
trace their origin and trust and enjoy "made in Vietnam" agricultural
products.
Invest in human resources
One of the barriers for
Vietnamese farmers to approach the 4.0 revolution is awareness. Because farmers
have small scale of farming, it is difficult to access high
technology in production. To change this, it is necessary to focus on
propaganda and training for people to understand; especially for the young
generation of farmers in terms of necessary knowledge in using technological
equipment and modern machinery; training young people on thinking about
approaching agriculture 4.0.
According to Dr. Le Quy Kha, Former
Deputy Director of the Southern Institute of Agricultural Science and
Technology: "It's time for Vietnamese farmers to find a way to overcome
their industriousness, hard work, and approach agriculture 4.0 so as not to remain
in a weak position in the competition".
Students of University of Agriculture and Forestry in
Ho Chi Minh City on an internship at Hung Loc Agricultural Research Center,
Trang Bom District. Photo: Phan Anh
Responding to an interview on
Dong Nai Newspaper about the 4.0 revolution, Prof. Dr. Vo Thanh Thu, a People's
Teacher, a senior lecturer at the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City,
member of the Advisory Council for International Trade Policy of VCCI said, the industrial revolution 4.0 is drastically changing
the production and business methods of enterprises globally. Employees need to
have sufficient knowledge and skills (including hard skills in digital,
technology, programming, human-robot interaction; soft skills such as thinking
ability, personal skills, human resources, social skills, etc.) to meet the
requirements. Dong Nai is an industrial province, so the level of trade is
large, meeting the needs of the application of information technology in
production and business of enterprises should be put first, but human resources
are still limited. Therefore, the province should implement a separate project
on human resource development to meet the requirements of the industrial
revolution 4.0 because this is a weak field in comparison with local needs as
well as in relation to the needs of the local community and other key provinces and cities.
According
to Dr. Dao Ha Trung, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City High-Tech Association,
compared with other countries in the application of 4.0 technology, Vietnam is
more disadvantaged in terms of capital, resources, and slower progress. But so
far, many businesses have been very diligent in innovating, they have put
robots into production. From the perspective of farmers, the approach to
Industry 4.0 is still quite deadlocked because of limited and backward
conditions. This is why we have established a 4.0 cooperative called COOP 4.0,
bringing together technology companies operating in the agricultural sector. This
is a new model, with members being technology companies and operating in the
form of joint purchase and sale, in order to reduce production costs and
quickly apply the latest technologies.
Phan Anh