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Transferring experiences in irrigation equipment manufacture

At present most of the irrigation equipment such as electric motors and pumpsets, diesel engines, submersible pumps, sprinkler and drip irrigation systems used in these four countries are imported mainly from European countries such as England, The Netherlands, Italy, Germany and Finland, and some from South Africa and Israel. The cost of this equipment is very high, hence smallholders cannot afford to invest in pumping and irrigation equipment. Further, it is difficult to get local servicing as spare parts are not readily available from suppliers. The equipment can be obtained at comparatively lower prices from the Asian countries where the prices are only one-half to one-third of the currently imported prices (Table 12). There is a need also to manufacture the equipment locally to reduce the costs and provide prompt service and maintenance.

TABLE 12 Cost of locally manufactured and imported irrigation equipment from Europe and South east Asia

Equipment

Local TANIRA

Imported INTERTEC

Europe MERRY

STORK

SWN

SE ASIA

Hand pump:

5 m depth

465

670

1000

2500

400-700

40-55

20 m depth

860

-

-

-

-

-

Treadle pump:

-

-

-

-

-

40-65

River pump:






35-40

Diesel pump:

2 HP

-

-

2000

-

-

-

3 HP

-

-

-

-

-

630

5 HP

-

-

-

-

-

658

Electric pump:

Monobloc:

1 HP

-

-

-

-

-

105

2 HP

-

-

-

-

-

150

3 HP

-

-

-

-

-

285

5 HP

-

-

-

-

-

350

Centrifugal pump:

1 HP

-

700

-

-

-

150

2 HP

-

-

600

-

-

190

3 HP

-

-

-

-

-

240

5 HP

-

-

-

3000

-

320

Submersible pump:

1 HP

-

-

-

2000

-

-

2 HP

-

-

9000

-

-

350

3 HP

-

-

-

-

-

400

5 HP

-

-

-

4500

-

455

Note: Only hand pumps are manufactured in Tanzania. Hand/Manual pumps from South East (SE) Asia refer average cost in Viet Nam/Nepal/Bangladesh/India and mechanical powered pumps in India, if imported. The cost reported includes transportation cost 15-20%, import duty/tax 5%; ship clearance charge 2-5%.

Experiences of the developing countries in Asia can be transferred so that local manufacturers can produce the equipment at a lower price. Many suppliers have reported that they will first import the equipment from the Asian countries and after evaluating the performance and the demand for the equipment, they will manufacture them locally. Several manufacturers in Asia such as those in India, are already exporting the equipment to several countries including a few in Africa.

Three or four interested manufacturers in each of the four African countries can be selected and sent to Asian countries such as India, China and Malaysia to explore the possibilities for importing the technologies to African countries. This includes the importation of parts as well as assembling in the African countries before starting to manufacture fully. During the visit, the African suppliers could also get the opportunity to discuss with various Government organizations and farmers, the performance of these equipment for large scale adoption. The visit should include 16 suppliers, four in each country for two weeks. The selection of promising suppliers can be done based on their current sale of imported equipment, organizational structure, asset base and scope for future expansion.

Further, it is recommended that competent technicians from India be sent to the irrigation pumping and equipment sectors to provide on-the-job training on the production and maintenance of the equipment. This is especially true for Zimbabwe, where various types of pumps and other equipment are manufactured. At first, four technicians specializing in different technologies can visit for four weeks each.

TRANSFER OF LOW-COST IRRIGATION TECHNOLOGY

Asia accounts for more than two-thirds of the irrigated area in the world and India's share represents one-third. Investments in new projects and rehabilitation of the traditional gravity systems have contributed to area and production increases. The irrigation development started with small gravity systems, followed by large scale reservoirs. Pumping technology coupled with rural electrification made a significant contribution to food production and regional development.

Further, research on irrigation water management including conveyance and application methods incorporating the soil and climatic factors by the research institutions complemented the production increases. Introduction of state-of-the-art irrigation equipment technology by manufacturers is a significant breakthrough in the expansion of pumping technologies.

The successful experiences from southern India in irrigation and pumping technologies will attract the African smallholders. The Indian rainfall pattern, soil type, cropping pattern and terrain are more or less comparable to African conditions. However, comparatively higher per caput water availability in these African countries, lower level of food production per unit of land and water, and inefficient water use and management warrant the need for technology transfer from developed regions, like India, to African countries.

In India, currently, about 26 agricultural universities with several hundred research stations are involved in the irrigation technology transfer to farmers. More specifically, the level of irrigation research conducted by private manufacturers with their strong research and development departments, at farm level, for different crops, types of pumps and other drip and sprinkler equipment, should be examined. In addition, the extent of irrigation technology transferred from research stations and from manufacturers to farmers in India should also be examined in depth. These reviews are necessary considering the irrigation development and food security for African nations.


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