The rice cutting machine is one of Chinh’s inventions. Photo: Hoang Lan

Nguyen Kim Chinh has been known as an inventive farmer who invented some types of agricultural machinery. His invented rice cutting machine was awarded a prize at the technological invention contests of provincial and national magnitude.

Another invention, a multi-function branch trimming and fruit harvesting tool, has been popularly known among gardeners. Kim Chinh is now nurturing other inventions, such as cashew picking machine, and sugar cane husking machine.

His improved rice cutting machine attracted much attention nationwide after winning the VIFOTECH award (the Viet Nam Fund for Supporting Scientific and Technological Creations) and appearing in Ho Chi Minh City – based Technology and Machine Tool Exhibition in 2005-2006.

Many manufacturers offered him plans of forming a joint-venture or transferring the technology for mass production. The inventive farmer refused the offers as he wanted to protect his technological know-how against loss or theft.

He himself manufactured the machines at home instead. His manufacturing is actually in dribs and drabs and uncontinuous, depending on goods orders. As many customers wanted to have official invoices and vouchers, he realized that he should set up a company of his own to satisfy the needs.

How dared he – a farmer with low education, no experiences in business management and manufacturing – establish the company? How did he run it efficiently?

“The manufacturing is in fact my daily activity. I just have to instruct other people in my family to follow my guides now and it is quite easy. In the tax concerning, I just follow the law,” said Kim Chinh.

Yet, he acknowledged that he lacked the market information, marketing and capital. He was, thus, a petty business owner. His company failed to satisfy big demand of farmers, particularly those in the northern region because of the manual production.

Kim Chinh has recently invented the multi-function branch trimming and fruit harvesting tool. The tool is small and light with 2.5kg in weight, 3m in length if unfolded and 0.93m if folded.

Users can trim branches while standing on ground or climbing trees. The tool can be applied to wrap fruits as way of protecting them from fruit worms, insects or birds. It can be used as a fruit picking tool.

While tree trimming scissors from Taiwan can’t cut branches 1cm in maximum diameter, Kim Chinh’s product can operate well on the branches 2.5cm in diameter. He has already sold 50 scissors to customers in the southern region, said the farmer.

As an ever-inventive person, Kim Chinh is improving his new product – the cashew harvesting machine. Capacity of one machine will equal to capacity of 10 workers. It was expected to increase the productivity of cashew harvesting, solving issues of labour shortage and health damage of the cashew pickers. The farmer is about to unveil the sugar cane husking machine for the market.

• Hoang Lan