Comparative of the application of combine harvester with the traditional harvest at Tanah Miring District, Merauke Regency

Abstract

Harvesting rice conventionally is generally done using traditional tools. Many obstacles on harvesting using traditional tools such as fecal contamination, reduced the harvest. This research aimed to analyze the use difference between the Combined Harvester-CH and sickles, either from the cost side or labors and efficiency. The research was a case study of the paddy farmers who used CH with ten informants consisting of the chairman of farmer union, agricultural extension agent, operator of Combined Harvester, and farmers. The research results indicated that the use of Combine Harvester provided additional rice production of 275 kg rice/ha and an additional income of Rp.3,570,000. The efficiency level of rice harvest using human power was 5.27 kg rice/ha, while the efficiency of CH rice was 11,29. The CH machines were suitable to operate on tidal land and in brackish water. Harvester traditionally needed high waged workers, while some workers were no interested in working in the fields. Cultivating farmers preferred to use CH machines on their paddy farming. Meanwhile, the formers worked as the waged laborers in order to supplement their family income. The cost of the harvest using Ch machine was Rp. 1,800,000/ha while the cost of the conventional harvesting was 4,000, 000/h. However, the presence combine harvester machine could not take the position of the workers as paid workers or the labor power in the agriculture sector.