A machine-scheduling model for large-scale rice production in Malaysia

The problem of minimizing machine operation cost in a large-scale irrigated double-cropping rice production area in Malaysia was investigated. The combined effects of production environment, climatic conditions and agronomic requirements of the crop require the farmers to rent the machines from co-operatives or from the private sector. However, the high cost of operation and the unique machine demand structure lead to extreme machine shortages. Therefore, a production system which minimizes machine demand is required. In this study, a two-stage cost-minimizing procedure using dynamic programming and linear programming models was studied, and an example is presented.