Threshing machine ejects rice into basin at mill near Mai Chau

Threshing machine ejects rice into basin at mill near Mai Chau

The spout of a threshing machine ejects rice into a red-rimmed white basin at a mill near Mai Chau. A sack to carry a large load of rice is visible at left.

Harvested rice grains generally are stored in their husks until needed for food. At that time, the husks must be removed either in large stone or wood mortars with pestles wielded by farmers, or by the kind of mechanical threshing machine seen here. Such machines generally are powered by kerosene or other fuel, and they may be owned communally by a village.