AAPI Bulletin Vol 8 October 2011

We now have all our data tabulated

for AAPI’s first year. We have seen

two seasons completed, Boro and

Aus. This issue publishes some of the

AAPI result impacts and they are

very impressive indeed. We are at or

over the target on all. The value of

the saving on the urea subsidy for this

first year of AAPI amounts to $5.79

million. This alone more than covers

the total AAPI budget for the year.

In this eighth issue, you will find an

article prepared by Mr Ram Prashad

Ghosh, AAPI Engineer, on

maintenance of briquette machines.

This is important for all owners of

machines. Remember your business

is only as good as the product you

sell and your machine is its most

valuable asset.

We also have an article written by Mr

Mofizul Islam on the progress we are

making in getting a new improved

applicator on to the market. On

October 9, we were privileged to

attend a workshop convened by the

Department of Farm Power and

Machinery at Bangladesh Agriculture

University (BAU) where a new

prototype was unveiled.

Dr Mozammel Haque has written an

article on how the Imams in

Mymensingh district are actively

promoting Urea Deep Placement

(UDP ) technology. It is gratifying to

see how they are contributing to the

project goals of food security and

income generation in their

communities.

AAPI is now focusing on up scaling

its activities from Boro 2012 to

achieve an expansion of the UDP

technology in about 1.0 million

hectares in the South and South-west

region of Bangladesh by Boro 2013.

All our staff are working full swing in

the field to achieve AAPI scale up

target.

* * *

Applicator is One of the Driving

Forces for Future UDP

Technology’s Expansion

The UDP technology is economically

profitable to farmers with increases in

yields compensating the increased

labor cost. However, the hand deep

placement of Guti urea is a time-

consuming and laborious field

operation, especially when it is done

separately a few days after

transplanting. Deep placement of urea

briquettes popularly known as Guti

urea requires 7-10 labor days per

hectare for manual deep placement.

Labor numbers vary largely due to

the expertise and skill from place to

place. In many places, even though

the farmers are motivated to use Guti

Notes from Chief of Party, AAPI Inside this issue:

Stakeholders Workshops with the Imams (an

Alternative Motivational Strategy for the Promotion of UDP Technology)

4

The Impact of UDP Technology in AAPI 2010-11

5

Maintenance of Briquette Machines: Tips for

Entrepreneurs

6

AAPI Events in November 2011

7

Volume 8

Accelerating Agriculture Productivity Improvement (AAPI)

AAPI NEWS BULLETIN October 31, 2011 A project supported by USAID in collaboration with DAE

AAPI News Bulletin is a

monthly publication of the

AAPI project.

Subscriptions are free.

IFDC is a Public International

Organization (PIO) based in

Alabama, USA. IFDC focuses

o n i n c r e a s i n g a n d

sustaining food security and

agricultural productivity in

developing countries.

Managing Editor:

Ishrat Jahan

Resident Representative

IFDC Bangladesh

Eurasia Division and

Project Coordinator, AAPI

Design and Layout:

Syed Afzal Hossain

Data Management Unit, AAPI

The views expressed in this bulletin do not necessarily reflect views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government

2

urea, the availability of labor and the

higher cost during the peak labor

demand period sometimes compel

them to forgo using Guti urea in the

paddy field.

Manufacture of suitable machines for

deep placement of Guti urea has been

considered a potential solution to the

labor problem. In past years, IFDC

and other organizations have

developed and evaluated several

prototype machines (or applicators)

for effective deep placement of urea

fertilizer. Reports describing the

designs and field performance of the

fertilizer applicator prototypes have

not received due attention and have

not led to widespread adoption.

Manual application continues to be

the main method.

Initially, an injector- type prilled urea

applicator was designed and tried in

Bangladesh by IFDC, Bangladesh

Rice Research Institute (BRRI) and

Bangladesh Agriculture Research

Institute (BARI) scientists. It was not

successful. The nozzle of the injector

became closed by clay and this led to

missing prilled urea deep placement

(Picture 1). On evaluation, it was

observed that plants receiving urea

were taller and darker green, but

missing plants were shorter and

yellow. Yield was less than expected.

It did not progress beyond the

research stage.

AAPI NEWS BULLETIN Volume 8

AAPI News Bulletin

Contact Persons:

Ishrat Jahan

Grahame D. Hunter

Address:

Dhaka Office:

Road No. 62,

House No. 4B, Apt-B2

Gulshan - 2, Dhaka -1212

Bangladesh

Tel: 880-2-9894288

880-2-8817391

Fax: 880-2-8826109

Website: www.ifdc.org

Barisal Office:

“Zohora”

834 (New) Police Line

Road, Barisal

Tel: 0431-2176566

AAPI Management:

Ishrat Jahan,

Project Coordinator;

Grahame D. Hunter,

Chief of Party;

Md. Mofizul Islam,

Sr. Agriculture Specialist;

Dr. Shaharuk Ahmed

Agriculture Specialist;

Md. Mozammel Haque,

Training Specialist;

Mahmood Hussain,

Training Specialist;

Abul Hossain Mollah,

Training Specialist,

Dr. Md. Abdul Mazid Mia,

Soil Scientist;

Mainul Ahsan,

Soil Scientist;

Md. Nurul Islam,

Market/Business Develop-

ment Specialist;

Ram Proshad Ghosh,

Mechanical Engineer;

Rubina Islam,

Gender Specialist;

Syed Afzal Mahmood

Hossain,

Senior Data Management

Specialist;

AFM Saleh Chowdhury,

Chief Accountant;

Bishnu Rup Chowdhury,

Administrative and

Procurement Officer

IFDC started promotion of Guti

during 1996 through the Agro-based

Industries and Technology

Development Project (ATDP) in

collaboration with Department of

Agricultural Extension (DAE).

During that time a push-type Guti

applicator was introduced to ease the

application of Guti urea (Picture 2).

Taking into account the labor

requirement of hand deep placement,

our Honorable Minister for

Agriculture has become the

champion for the introduction of a

more efficient and effective

applicator. Accordingly, BRRI and

BARI were instructed to develop an

applicator for Guti urea deep

placement. BRRI designed a two-row

applicator that was effective, but its

weight (12 kg) did not appeal to

farmers because it required more

effort to push.

BARI designed an applicator that

was approved by the Guti Urea

Applicator Development technical

committee (including one member

from IFDC) set up by the Ministry of

Agriculture. The BARI applicator

generally requires 1.25 labor days per

hectare in place of 7-10 labor days

for manual application. There are

now approximately 8,000 BARI

applicators working in the field. On

Picture 1: Prilled urea injector-type

applicator

Picture 2: Hand-placement applicator

3


The IFDC-BAU-BARI improved version has the

following improvements over the BARI model:

In addition, dust formation caused by urea

briquettes being crushed by the pickup wheel will

also be less in the improved version. Operational

comfort is better than the BARI applicator for the

following reasons:

Weight of finished improved version will be 2

kg less.

Round and short shape of the base lessens

frictional contact with the soil.

As per contract, BAU will supply five sets of

prototype applicators. These will be extensively

field tested during the coming Boro season before

commercial manufacture.

* * *

advice from the Honorable Minister, the

government machinery project has distributed

over 7,500 applicators free of cost.

Feedback from farmers suggests that the BARI

applicator still has improvements to be made.

About 12% of the point placements are missed;

3%-4% double drops briquettes; there is

blocking of the Guti urea delivery system; weeds

and grasses clog the wheel; and operators require

training before the machine can operate

efficiently.

Considering the urgency and need for an

improved design, IFDC has taken the initiative to

improve the BARI applicator and/or to redesign

a new applicator. The Bangladesh Agriculture

University (BAU), Bangladesh University of

Engineering Technology (BUET) and the

University of North Dakota have been contracted

to improve or redesign a new applicator. BAU

has finalized their model (Picture 4) and a

workshop on “Improvement of Guti Urea

Applicator” was organized on October 09, 2011,

at Teacher Student Center (TSC), BAU,

Mymensingh. BAU Vice-Chancellor Dr. M.

Rafiqul Haque was Chief Guest. Professor Dr.

A.T.M. Ziauddin gave a presentation

highlighting the advantages of the newly

designed applicator. During laboratory testing it

was observed that the missed briquette drops

have been reduced from 13% to 1%.

Picture 3: BARI model applicator

Picture 4: IFDC-BAU-BARI Improved Model

BARI Model IFDC-BAU-BARI Model

Unsowed land strips in

both ends of each bout

No unsowed land strips in

both ends of each bout

Short life due to metallic

body

Long life due to plastic

body

Self weight:9 kg Self weight:7 kg

Pulling force:8-8.5 kg Pulling force:7-7.5 kg

Missing percentage:9%-12

%

Missing percentage:0%-2%

More than 1 Guti/cup:

- 8%-10% for 1.8 gm Guti

- 5%-8% for 2.7 gm Guti

More than 1 Guti/cup:

- 2%-3% for 1.8 gm Guti

- 0%-1 % for 2.7 gm Guti

4


Stakeholder Workshops with the Imams (an

Alternative Motivational Strategy for the

Promotion of UDP Technology)

Stakeholder workshops on a particular technology

are referred to as motivational meetings and

campaigns for awareness building. They aim to

build support from the different stakeholders

involved in the agriculture development process.

In the AAPI project, the stakeholder workshop is

generally arranged in order to reinforce the

decision-making process of the farmers towards

the adoption of UDP (urea deep placement mainly

through “Guti” urea) technology. It has a positive

role in the promotion of UDP technology. The

participants of the workshops are generally

progressive farmers, local leaders, school teachers,

irrigation managers, farmers’ club members,

officials involved in fertilizer management and

others. In its first year, AAPI has organized 48

stakeholder workshops.

A special stakeholder workshop was held last

summer in Mymensingh district with the Imams of

the Mosques in cooperation with the Islamic

Foundation of Mymensingh. “Imam” is an Arabic

word meaning “leader.” The Imams are not only

religious leaders; they are also social leaders with

an important role in promoting community

development. The Imams generally deliver their

religious teachings in the Mosque, but they also

include discussions covering relevant topics

needed for community development. Imams are

highly regarded and can have much influence

promoting UDP technology. The adoption of UDP

can quickly lead to increased productivity of rice

and vegetables. The objectives of the AAPI

workshop were:

Creating awareness among the Imams and

providing them with information and

knowledge on UDP technology.

Developing their mind-set towards the

promotion of UDP technology in their locality.

The workshop was arranged in the conference

room of the Deputy Director of the Islamic

Foundation of Mymensingh; 48 Imams attended

from 12 upazilas in Mymensingh district (Figure

1). There are 5,000 Imams in Mymensingh district,

according to the Islamic Foundation of

Mymensingh. The selection of the Imams is based

on: age, educational background, experience in

farming, leadership ability, etc.

The workshop commenced under the chairmanship

of the Deputy Director of the Mymensingh Islamic

Foundation. The Additional Deputy Commissioner

(ADC) representing the Deputy Commissioner

was the Chief Guest in the workshop. He pointed

out the pioneering role of the Imams and said he

believed that the success of the workshop would

lead to the promotion of UDP technology in the

Mymensingh district’s rural areas. The Deputy

Director, Department of Agricultural Extension

(DAE) Mymensingh, also attended the workshop

as Special Guest and expressed firmly that this

workshop would play a catalytic role towards the

sustainable promotion of UDP technology in this

region.

A brief speech was made by IFDC’s Resident

Representative Ishrat Jahan, Eurasia Division

Bangladesh; she highlighted the importance of

Source: Training Record of AAPI Mymensingh Region

Workshop with the Imams of the Mosques in

Mymensingh

5


* * *

The Impact of UDP Technology in AAPI

2010-11

The first year of AAPI – October 2010 to

September 2011 – spans two rice seasons – Boro

and Aus. Block surveys and crop cuts have

confirmed the impacts of UDP technology through

these two seasons.

As a percentage of the high-yielding varieties

(HYV)/hybrid area, AAPI achieved 27% coverage

in Boro season and 35% coverage in Aus 2011 in

its target districts. Plot sizes of UDP fields were 68

UDP technology in Bangladesh and requested that

the Imams participate in the UDP technology

dissemination process in their respective areas,

along with the AAPI field extension personnel.

The AAPI Chief of Party Grahame Hunter also

made a brief speech on different aspects of UDP

technology promotion in the project locations and

the expectation of success. Two keynote papers

were presented by the senior officials of AAPI

covering the technical and economical aspects of

UDP technology and the role of Imams in this

regard. After the presentations, open discussion

was held where Imams and other distinguished

guests participated. They expressed that this

workshop helped the Imams to acquire valuable

information relating to UDP technology,

especially its necessity for Bangladesh where food

security is a prime concern because of the rapidly

increasing population.

The main recommendation of the workshop was

that the Imams will highlight the importance of

UDP technology promotion to the participants of

their respective Mosques during their normal

presentations and in the weekly special prayer day

on Friday.

Follow-up after the workshop noted that most of

the Imams have started to provide UDP

information to the community members in their

areas. It was noted that the in the weekly special

prayer day (Friday), the Imams are highlighting

the importance of UDP technology. Some of the

Imams have adopted UDP technology on their

own land also. Mr. Abdullah, an Imam of

Valukjan block of Fulbaria upazila under

Mymensingh district, attended the AAPI

workshop and afterwards applied UDP technology

on 0.42 acres of transplanted Aman rice. Because

of his example, 15 neighboring farmers have also

applied Guti urea in their rice fields. Other

neighboring farmers have been observing the UDP

-applied rice plots and are becoming interested in

UDP technology, thus the technology is diffused

through the influence of the Imams.

Md. Abdulla is discussing his Guti urea applied plot on

October 10, 2011, with neighboring farmers.

Result Indicators Unit Boro Aus

Coverage of rice area

under FDP technology

Ha 173,948 70,641

Area of vegetables under

FDP technology

Ha 1,162 495

Farmers adopting FDP

technology

No. 597,707 256,262

Urea saved mt 15,642 3,719

GOB saving on urea

subsidy

Million

US $

4.47 1.32

Incremental rice

production

mt 101,169 26,259

Value of incremental

rice production

Million US

$

39.76 10.31

Average incremental

value per hectare

US $ 231 146

6

-71 decimals across both seasons. Crop cuts in

farmer fields showed a yield increment of 15%

and 16% for Boro and Aus, respectively.

Project Activities

The first year activities, however, covered all three

rice seasons as Aman planting starts from mid-July

and most of the activities need to be complete by

end of transplantation. The project activities

carried out from October 2010 through September

2011 are reported in the following Table.

* * *


Maintenance of Briquette Machine: Tips for

Entrepreneurs

Boro is the major paddy crop of Bangladesh now.

Just after the Aman season, farmers will start

planting Boro seeds. With the planting, the

demand for Guti urea will go up. Therefore, those

producing Guti urea will have to prepare

immediately. As the Guti urea machine is the

main component to produce the fertilizer,

maintaining it is of paramount importance.

Without regular maintenance, it could quickly

become dysfunctional. Longevity of the machine

and quality of the fertilizer all depend on regular

maintenance of the machine. Therefore, we are

suggesting some tips that will be helpful for

entrepreneurs.

1. You will have to replace the roller set. This

means if you have a 1.8 gram roller set in

your machine, you have to replace it with a

2.7 gram roller set, which manufactures 2.7

gram Guti as required during Boro season.

2. Before going for production, please get the

diesel engine serviced by a good technician. If

needed, machinery parts like oil filter, fuel

filter and even engine oil should be checked

and changed as necessary.

3. Paint the machine if its outer side is rusted

and damaged.

4. Overhaul the engine if it is old and showing

signs of wear and tear.

5. The parts that are changed (roller set) should

be cleaned with kerosene oil and then put in

the sun to ensure they dry properly. Then rub

with grease, put them in polythene and keep

them in a dry and high place for use in the

next season.

6. Gear oil in the gear box should be changed if

you find its quality below standard. Gear oil

must be of the quality similar to the grade of

EP 90 or 120.

7. After setting the 2.7 gram roller to the

machine, you have to first produce some

Result

Indicators Unit

Total Year 2010-11

Target Actual %

Technology

Transfer

Training of

extension staff Batch 60 62 103

Farmer training

on FDP and AWD

technology

Batch 4,000 4,144 104

Field

demonstrations No. 800 977 122

Field trials No. 50 65 130

Field days No. 100 101 101

Crop cuts No. 1,170 904 77

Motivational

field trips No. 50 52 104

Motivational

meetings and

campaign

No. 40 48 120

Improving Farmers’

Access

Selling briquette

machines at 75%

subsidized price

No. 270 255 94

Training of bri-

quette producers/

fertilizer dealers

Batch 25 25 100

Market informa-

tion reports

(AAPI News

Bulletin)

No. 7 7 100

Development of

Applicator

Grants to

Universities No. 4 3 75

Field testing of

applicators No. 3 2 66

7

briquettes as a test. If the standard is not up to

the mark, the roller set has to be adjusted.

8. You can do all of these chores yourself, but

you may also call the nearest AAPI technician

or machine supplier for help.

9. In light of past experience, you have to

prepare Guti urea early and store some stock

so that the farmers can buy and collect it

when they need it.

Things you have to remember while operating

the machine:

1. Check if anything hard is found in the hopper

before starting the machine.

2. Check if the necessary parts are in the right

places.

3. Check if gear oil, water of cooling tank, diesel

and engine oil are adequate.

4. Ensure that the prilled urea is loose and that

there is no hard material in it.

5. Refrain from use of excessively wet and

damaged fertilizer.

6. Notice if the machine generates an abnormal

sound when it is operated. Call a technician if

necessary.

7. Test the quality of the briquettes in the

beginning and during production.

8. After production, turn off the machine slowly.

9. Clean all the parts of the machine thoroughly.

10. Use water to wash the whole machine and

make sure no glue-type substance remains on

it.

11. Then, rub the machine with dry cloth.

12. Regular water supply to the cooling tank of a

diesel engine is a must.


13. Clean the hand tools and keep them in a proper

place.

14. Never place your hands, screw diver or

anything hard on the machine when it is

running.

15. Use gloves, gumboot and mask while

operating the machine.

16. Turn the machine off for an hour after every

four hours of continuous production.

17. After the day’s production is over, cover the

machine with polythene, if needed.

* * *

* * *

AAPI Events in November 2011

In the month of November, AAPI is concentrating

its activities for Boro paddy. In this month, the

following activities will be carried out.

709 batches of training for Boro farmers

24 training of trainers (TOT) for DAE staff

2 training for briquette producers

7 orientation training programs

11 Motivational field trips

162 Motivational meetings with Boro farmers

2 stakeholders workshops

2 meetings with District/Upazila seed fertilizer

monitoring committees

Sites identified for demo plot

Sites identified for trial plots

9 open sky shows

17 field days for Aman 2011

1,900 block survey for Aman 2011

8


Documents

AAPI Bulletin Vol 8 October 2011