A very important part in the process of harvesting efficiently and on time, is the technical readiness of available agricultural machinery, supplied by carefully managed resources and the help of favorable conditions.
Therefor it’s highly important for farmers to take into consideration the amount of time and means needed to complete certain operations. This involves having a high degree of responsibility, besides the special management skills required to complete the job. In order to succeed in their ventures, farmers need to calculate the amount of harvesting equipment required to complete their objectives, not forgetting to take into consideration the possibility of unfavorable weather conditions.
Therefor it’s necessary to prepare, maintain and repair the agricultural machines in advance, as well as outfitting them with additional devices and equipment for working in difficult conditions.
To this day, both Western and Russian companies are engaged in the production of combine harvesters of various purposes. Some of the most popular Western brands are “NEW HOLLAND”, “JOHN DEERE”, “CLAAS”. One of the most clearly distinguished companies from Russia is “Ростсельмаш” (Rotselmash).
The common opinion is that the combines produced by the Western manufacturers are better, more reliable and economical, thus justifying their high cost, however a thing worth noting down is the fact that the combine harvesters made by “Ростсельмаш” are much cheaper than their Western analogues and at the same time, they are not inferior to them in terms of reliability. They fulfill all current requirements of modern agro-industrial technologies and processes. Another thing that needs to be taken into account is the fact that the maintenance is generally cheaper, thus making the spare parts and repairs more affordable.
“Such Combine Harvesters are generally ideal for a 500-600 ha farm. The Combines meet international ergonometric standards, the and the units are supplied with air-conditioners and all sorts of conveniences in order to make the combine operator comfortable.
The on-board computer fulfills a lot of operations such as light maintenance, repairs and adjustments easily. It also offers some preventive prompts that indicate what components require maintenance or changing. Looking at the ratio of price to quality, there isn’t a more attractive offer on the market yet. I believe this is a very acceptable option for our farmers.” – The director of “Daalar-Duzuu” Сергей Гончар (Sergei Gonchar).
If we would take a look at the Western production, most of the spare parts need to be ordered from abroad, and this could entail in a long-term downtime for the machine, something that a farmer can’t afford these days.
“Indeed, the imported agricultural equipment is of very good quality, but its cost is a bit steep. The locally produces harvesters are ½ if not 2 times cheaper. There is literally no difference in performance and they practically keep the same level of fuel economy. The level of comfort for the mechanic is the same because they’re almost analogues of each other.” –The director of “Golserv-Agro” Юрий Зара (Yuri Zara).
The journalists of the independent informational portal Noi.md have learned the opinions of the Moldavian agrarians regarding the “Ростсельмаш” (Rotselmash) Combine harvesters that they had on hand, and conducted their comparative analysis of the Western and Russian harvesters.
