Le Huu Minh beside his hydraulic peanut oil and sesame oil press machine.
Finishing grade 8 from Huong Van secondary school (present Ho Van Tu secondary school - Huong Van ward), due to his poor family circumstances, Le Huu Minh left school and joined his father to become a mechanic in 1995. Minh’s father, Mr. Le Huu Lanh was known as a skilled mechanic. Although he left school at grade 5, he achieved two national prizes in science and technology (second prize for his invention of peanut peeling machine, and third prize for his sesame peeling machine in 2008).
Thanks to his industrious apprenticeship, Minh has become more and more skillful in his job. Huu Lanh mechanical workshop is always busy with customers, and accordingly, the family’s economy has gradually improved. In 2009, Minh's father passed away and the mechanical workshop was handed over to Minh for management.
In 2014, as the market demand for peanut oil press machines increased since the traditional manual pressing method was inefficient. Minh travelled to learn about farming and mechanics from experienced people in other localities.
With his knowledge and practical experience, in 2015 Minh successfully made the labor-saving hydraulic peanut oil, sesame oil press machine with a capacity of 1-1.5 tons per day.
Up to now, Minh has made more than ten machines ordered by people in Ha Tinh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang at the price of VND 45-75 million/machine.
In early 2016, a customer from Quang Tri province ordered a fresh turmeric grinder. After more than six months of studying, Minh successully built his fresh turmeric grinder. At the price of VND 5-10 million/ grinder, users can grind from 5 quintals to 1 ton of turmeric/day.
The invention of the hydraulic peanut oil, sesame oil press machine and the fresh turmeric grinder has brought Minh the third prize and the consolation prize in the voting contest for typical rural industrial products of Huong Tra town in 2017.
Mr. Le Van Anh, Head of Economic Department of Huong Tra town, Deputy Head of the judging panel of the contest commented: "Huong Tra now has about 1,000 hectares of peanut with the productivity of 24 quintals/hectare; after harvest, farmers often sell in shell raw peanuts, which is not economically efficient. Mr. Le Huu Minh has studied and built the hydraulic peanut oil, sesame oil press machine and the fresh turmeric grinder to help farmers save labor and improve the quality of peanut oil and turmeric. We will enter these two machines in the voting contest for typical rural industrial products of the province in 2017."
"Coming from a farming family and being a farmer too, I know very well the hard work of farmers," Minh said. Apart from hydraulic peanut oil, sesame oil press machines and fresh turmeric grinders, Huu Lanh mechanical workshop makes peanut, sesame peeling machines; peanut sieving machines, plow blades; and repairs agricultural machines, corn mills, cassava mills, etc. Annually, Minh earns more than VND 1 billion and creates jobs for five workers with stable income from VND 4-6 million/month/person. At present, Minh is spending his time studying to build the peanut sowing machine to help farmers save labor.
Story and photo: Xuan Truong - Truong Huyen