Abstract

Mechanical rice transplanting needs special seedling raising. The Appropriate Scale Mechanization Innovation Hub (ASMIH)-Bangladesh project trained farmers on raising rice seedling. Extensive field trials were conducted during 2017 to 2019 by the ASMIH-Bangladesh and farmers’ groups are now confident to establish seedling nursery on commercial basis. It will solve the seedling raising problem for mechanical transplanting and also increase their income. The main advantages of mechanical transplanting are transplanting of seedlings at the age of 12-30 days with uniform spacing and optimum plant density; higher productivity compared to traditional transplanting where plant spacing and density are not always be consistent; less transplanting shock, early seedling vigor and uniform crop establishment; less time, labor, drudgery and health risks for farm laborers. FAO developed a rural invest software named “RuralInvest” to access the sustainability of rural projects such as mechanization, development projects, entrepreneurial opportunities, investment projects etc. In this study, the RuralInvest software was used to evaluate the seedling raising nursery business. The total time duration of the project was estimated for 5 years with farmer’s own investment where the direct beneficiaries were 08 farmers and indirect beneficiaries were 45 farmers. Two types of seedling raising techniques were evaluated with the RuralInvest software, one for mat-type and another for economy plastic tray-type seedling raising. The IRR, NPV, payback period and Investment per direct beneficiaries were found 29.10%, BDT 2056, 2.46 year, BDT 348.75 and 22.52%, BDT 3834, 2.84 years, BDT 911.25 for mat-type and plastic tray-type seedling raising, respectively. To establish the sustainable mechanization of rice transplanting and meet the challenges of labor crisis during rice transplanting season, seedling raising nursery business would generate sustainable entrepreneurship through income generation and raising seedlings for mechanical rice transplanting in the Southern delta of Bangladesh.

Key words: Rice seedling, Rice transplanter, RuralInvest, Seedling raising