PROFILE ON TEMPERATE FRUIT TREE

SEEDLING MULTIPLICATION

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
I.

SUMMARY

104-3

II.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION & APPLICATION

104-3

III.

MARKET STUDY AND NURSERY CAPACITY

A. MARKET STUDY
B. NURSERY CAPACITY & PRODUCTION PROGRAMME

104-4
104-4
104-8

IV.

MATERIALS & UTILITIES

A. MATERIALS & INPUTS
B. UTILITIES

104-8
104-8
104-9

V.

TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING

104-10

A. TECHNOLOGY
B. ENGINEERING

104-10
104-11

VI.

MANPOWER & TRAINING REQUIREMENT

A. MANPOWER REQUIREMENT
B. TRAINING REQUIREMENT

104-16
104-16
104-16

VII.

FINANCIAL ANLYSIS
A. TOTAL INITIAL INVESTMENT COST
B. PRODUCTION COST
C. FINANCIAL EVALUATION
D. ECONOMIC BENEFITS

104-17
104-17
104-18
104-19
104-21

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I.

SUMMARY

This profile envisages the establishment of a farm for the production of temperate fruit
tree seedlings with a capacity of 25,000 pieces per annum. Fruit seed processing is
multiplication and preparation of fruit seeds with high yield potential and resistant to
adverse effects of environment and disease.
The present demand for the proposed product is estimated at 20,000 pieces per annum.
The demand is expected to reach at 62,769 pieces by the year 2020.
The total investment requirement is estimated at Birr 1.22 million, out of which Birr 9.90
thousand is required for farm machinery. The farm will create employment opportunities
for 15 persons.
The project is financially viable with an internal rate of return (IRR) of 23.40% and a net
present value (NPV) of Birr 712.18 thousand, discounted at 8.5%.
The project creates forward linkage with the horticulture sub sector.
II.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION AND APPLICATION

Fruits are important in the provision of food nutrients such as vitamins and minerals and
carbohydrates, income for the producers and to some extent foreign exchange for the
country. Temperate fruit production is on very small scale and is limited mainly by in
sufficient chilling. The most important temperate fruits of this country include apple,
pear, peaches and straw berry. All of these belong to the family rosaceous. Apple is the
most important fruit and it is the leading table fruit served, because of its attractive
appearance, easily cultivable and can be stored at normal temperature for even months.
Apple requires an elevation of 1600-2700 meters. Peach in the genus prunes are drupes
(stone seed) which requires warmest climate of all temperate fruits. It is generally selffruitful and is generally propagated by budding. Peach bear fruits mostly once in a year.

104-4
Regarding plums, there are two types of cultivated plum, European plum that are
cultivated at a higher attitude and the Japanese plums at lower altitude. The chose of
varieties for planting should be made based on the facts mentioned above. Plum is
generally propagated by budding the root stock. Generally in pomes (seed fruit) group are
categorized as apple and pear where as in drupe (stone seed) groups are peach and plum.
III.

MARKET STUDY AND PROJECT CAPACITY

A.

MARKET STUDY

1.

Past

Supply and Present Demand

The Ethiopian Governments strategy for poverty reduction as stipulated in the A plan
for Accelerated and Sustained Development to end Poverty, PASDEP includes
production diversification in to more market oriented production from the traditional
grain based agricultural production.
The agricultural strategy will revolve around a major effort to support the intensification
of marketable farm products, both for domestic and export markets, and by both small
and large farmers. Elements of the strategy include the shift to higher-valued crops,
promoting niche high-value export crops, a focus on selected high-potential areas,
facilitating the commercialization of agriculture. Accordingly, one of the market oriented
products selected are temperate fruits.
Accordingly, after analyzing the world market situation and taking into consideration the
countrys comparative advantages, a number of fruit species, including mango, avocado,
banana, pineapple and apple have been identified as prior entry areas to be focused on
during the five year program.
Specific areas/corridors of specialization for commercialization of the production system
for fruits have also been categorized in clusters of areas that facilitate the promotion of

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post-harvest technologies, which are the major components to improve the supply chain
performance and sustain product quality to be competitive in the world market.
Accordingly, the development program will focus on the Eastern and Rift valley
corridors, where fruits like mango and avocado and green beans will likely be dominant
crops. Also certain areas from the southern part of the country are selected for the
commercialization of mango, avocado, pineapple and banana production.
Besides, the introduction and expansion of highland fruits such as apples will be
encouraged in pocket areas of southern Ethiopia, where relatively better experience is
currently prevailing. In this regard, wide areas of the highlands in central part of the
country will also be included in the program.
During the five years program the number of smallholders involved in fruit production
program is expected to reach about 379,750. Together with the expansion program of new
varieties and transfer of technologies, the productivity of matured fruit crops (8 years
after planting) is expected to increase by 400% compared with the prevailing levels (50
Qt./hectare). The envisaged size of area to be put under fruit, total production of fruits
and productivity are depicted in Tables 3.1.
Table 3.1
ANNUAL PLANS FOR CULTIVATED AREA, PRODUCTION AND
PRODUCTIVITY OF FRUITS

In order to achieve the above discussed plan the government has also estimated the
resource requirement including fruit seedlings. Table 3.2 shows the annual fruit seedling
requirement during the plan period.

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Table 3.2
ANNUAL FRUIT SEEDLING REQUIREMENT DURING PASDEP ( PIECES )
Year
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010

Requirement
10,000
15,000
20,000
25,000
30,000

Accordingly, the present (2008) demand for fruit seedlings is estimated at 20,000 pieces.
2.

Projected Demand

In its PASDEP the Ethiopia government stated that it will continue to pursue on the ADLI
strategy, but with important enhancements to capture the private initiative of farmers and
support the shifts to diversification and commercialization of agriculture. In view of this
the demand for fruit seedlings is assumed to grow by 5% annually. (See Table 3.1)

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Table 3.1
PROJECTED DEMAND(PIECES)

Year
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
3.

Projected Demand
22,000
24,200
26,620
29,282
32,210
35,431
38,974
42,872
47,159
51,875
57,062
62,769

Pricing and Distribution

Based on current price the farm gate price for the envisaged farm is estimated at Birr 18
per pieces. The product can get its market outlet through the existing wholesale and retail
network for agricultural inputs. The envisaged plant can also supply its product directly
to users or appoint agents at selected locations.

B.

NURSERY CAPACITY AND PRODUCTION PROGRAMME

1.

Nursery Site Capacity

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Based on the market study, the nursery will have a capacity of multiplying or propagating
of about 25,000 asexually propagated seedlings of peach, apple, plum and pear at its full
capacity per annum.
2.

Production Program

The Temperate Fruit seedlings multiplication project will begin with 60 percent capacity
in the first year and its capacity will grow to 70 percent, 80 percent and 100 percent in the
second, third and forth production years, respectively.
Table 3.3
Production Program
Year
Capacity Utilization (%)

1
70

2
80

3 -10
100

Production (no.)

20,000

22,500

25,000

IV.

MATERIALS, INPUTS AND UTILITIES

A.

MATERIALS AND INPUTS

The types of materials and the corresponding costs for temperate fruit seedlings
propagation is depicted in Table 4.1. The total cost for materials and inputs is estimated
at about Birr 29,750.
The compost could be purchased from local markets or prepared from house refuses.
Furthermore, the scions and root stocks for mother trees establishment could be procured
from farmers in North West Shoa Zone of the Oromia Regional State.
Table 4.1

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MATERIALS AND INPUTS AND COSTS

S/N

Description

Unity Qty.

Unit
Cost (Birr)

Total
Cost (Birr)

1
2
3

Compost
Mulch
Scion Materials

Qt
Bell
No

400
50
250

100
15
50

4,000
750
12,500

Root stock

No

250

50

12,500
29,750

Total

B.

UTILITIES

The envisaged temperate fruit seedlings multiplication nursery site requires utilities like
electricity and water. The total cost for different utilities at full capacity is estimated at
about Birr 16,960.4. Details on costs of utilities are shown in Table 4.2.

Table 4.2
UTILITY REQUIREMENT AND COST
S/N
Description
1 Electricity
2 Water (only potable)
Total

Unit
KWH
M3

Quantity
1,500
3,000

V.

TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING

A.

TECHNOLOGY

1.

Production Process

Unit cost
0.4736
3.25

Total cost
710.4
9,750
10,460.4

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The process of multiplication /propagation of temperate fruit seedlings are summarized as
follow
Nursery Site Establishment
Nursery establishment includes fencing, land clearing, construction of stores and
offices as well as irrigation canals

Orchard Establishment
In order to get scion materials and root stocks for seedling propagation, orchard
should be established well ahead of time. The scions and the rootstocks could be
purchased from farmers in North West Shoa of the Oromia Regional State.

Seedbed Preparation
The rootstock seedlings from mother tree orchard are required to be transplanted to
nursery beds. Hence, standard seedbeds should be prepared prior to transplanting.

Managing Seedlings
After transplanting, the rootstock seedlings should be handled carefully in order
to get strong root stocks required for asexual propagation.

Grafting
The process of bringing the scion materials and the rootstock together in the nursery
beds is known as grafting. Grafting is the asexual propagation technique of fruit tree
seedlings after the rootstock seedlings attain their developmental stage for
propagation.

Post graft seedling Handling

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As a whole, checking the graft age union between the scion and rootstock,
desuckering, height regulation, cultivation, plant protection, irrigation are among
the most important post graft handling cares to be carried out timely and
periodically.
A nursery to be established for fruit trees seedlings will have no negative
environmental impacts.

2.

Source of Technology

Usually, temperate fruit seedlings propagation does not require high technologies rather it
could be carried out with simple equipment that could be supplied by local trading
companies operating in Addis Ababa.
B.

ENGINEERING

1.

Machinery and Equipment

The types of machineries and equipment required for the project are described in Table
5.1. The total cost of the items is estimated at about Birr 9,900, out of which Birr 5,000
is required in foreign currency

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Table 5.1
DESCRIPTION OF MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT AND COST
S/N

Description

Unit

Qty.

Total cost
(Birr)

2
3

Hand tools
-Wheel barrow

No

1200.00

1200.00

-Watering can

,,

220.00

220.00

-Hoe

,,

20

400.00

400.00

-Spade

,,

20

400.00

400.00

-Rake

,,

20

400.00

400.00

-Measuring tape

,,

300.00

300.00

-String

Roll

50.00

50.00

-Plastic buckets

No

20

800.00

800.00

- pruning sheer

,,

130.00

130.00

No

2
1

1000
5,000
9,900

1000

Sprayer
Czarina
Total

2.

Cost
Local
Foreign

4,900

5,000
5,000

Land, Building and Civil Works

The total area for the envisaged project is estimated 1,500 square meters. This will be
utilized for orchard establishment (750 m2), rootstock seedlings preparation ( 500 m2) and
construction of stores (50 m2), offices and toilet (60m2) as well as water harvesting
structure. The construction cost for stores, offices and toilet at an overage unity cost of
birr 2000 per m2 is estimated at about birr 220,000.
According to the Federal Legislation on the Lease Holding of Urban Land (Proclamation
No 272/2002) in principle, urban land permit by lease is on auction or negotiation basis,
however, the time and condition of applying the proclamation shall be determined by the
concerned regional or city government depending on the level of development.

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In Addis Ababa the Citys Land Administration and Development Authority is directly
responsible in dealing with matters concerning land. Regarding the manufacturing
sector, industrial zone preparation is one of the strategic intervention measures adopted
by the City Administration for the promotion of the sector and all manufacturing projects
are assumed to be located in the developed industrial zones.
However, the project under consideration is an urban agriculture project. Therefore, it is
assumed that the project will be located outside the industrial zones. Accordingly, the
initial land lease rate in Addis Ababa set by the Citys Land Administration and
Development Authority based on the location of land is as shown in Table 5.1.
Table 5.1
INITIAL LAND LEASE RATE IN ADDIS ABABA
Sr.
No
1

Location of the land

Central Business zones

Places That
Transit

Expansion Zones

are

Land
Grade
1
2
3
4
5

Initial Price in
m2
1167.3
1062.9
916.2
751.5
619.2

1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4

716.4
647.1
559.8
472.5
384.3
245.7
207
150.3
132.3

Under

Source; Addis Ababa City Land Administration Authority

As can be seen from Table 5.2 the initial land lease rate ranges from Birr 1,167.3 to 132.3
per m2.

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Considering the nature of the project the expansion zones of the city are recommended as
the best locations. Accordingly, the highest land lease rates in the expansion zones of the
city which is Birr 245.7/ m2 is adopted.
The Federal Legislation on the Lease Holding of Urban Land legislation has also set the
maximum on lease period and the payment of lease prices (See Table 5.2 and Table 5.3.)
Table 5.2
LEASE PERIOD
Lease Period
( Years)

Type of Service
Residential area
Industry
Education, cultural research
NGO and religious
Trade
Urban Agriculture
Other service

99
80
health, sport,
99
70
15
70
Table 5.3

LEASE PAYMENT PERIOD

Sr.
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

Service Type
Private residential are obtained
through tender or negotiation
Trade
Industry
Real estate
Urban Agriculture
Trade and social service
Others

Period of Payment
According to the Grade of
Towns
50 - 60 years
40 - 50 years
40 - 50 years
40 -50 years
8 - 10 years
40 - 50 years
40 50 years

Moreover, advance payment of lease based on the type of investment ranges from 5% to
10%. For those that pay the entire amount of the lease will receive 0.5% discount from
the total lease value and those that pay in installments will be charged interest based on

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the prevailing interest rate of banks. Moreover, based on the type of investment, two to
seven years grace period shall also be provided. The lease price is payable after the grace
period annually.
Regarding, the terms and conditions of land lease the Addis Ababa City Government have
adopted Article 6 of the Federal Legislation with very minimal changes. Therefore, for
the purpose of this project profile since the project is urban agriculture , 15 years lease
period, 10 years lease payment completion period, 10% down payment and two years
grace period is used.
Accordingly, the land lease cost of the project, at rate of Birr 245.7 per m 2 for 15 years of
holding is estimated at Birr 5.53 million. Assuming 10% of the total cost ( Birr 552,825 )
will be paid in advance as down payment and the remaining Birr 4.98 million will be
paid in equal installments with in 10 years, the annual lease payment is estimated at Birr
497,543.
3.

Location, Site and Environment

In general, the land for nursery site is expected to be gentle slope and it should be situated
near to reliable water sources. It should also be far from buildings that could have
shading effects on the seedlings. It should also be accessible for transporting raw
materials to the site and seedlings to planting sites of the clients or to markets.

VI.

MANPOWER REQUIREMENT AND TRAINING

A.

MANPOWER REQUIREMENT

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The permanent workers and simple casual laborers required by the temperate fruit
seedlings multiplication nursery site are given in Table 6.1.
Table 6.1
MANPOWER REQUIREMENT AND LABOR COST
Sr.
No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
6

Req.
Position
Manager
Technicians
Laborers
Salesman
Secretary /Accountant
Cashier
Guard
Sub Total
Employees
benefit(25%of BS)
Total

B.

Monthly

Annual

No.
Salary (Birr) Salary (Birr)
1
2,500
30,000
2
2,000
24,000
54,000
1
1,200
14,400
1
700
8400
1
700
8400
2
1,000
12,000
15
151,200
37,800
189,000

TRAINING REQUIREMENT

Temperate fruit seedlings propagation/ multiplication requires skilled manpower to

undertake grafting and manipulate and manage the seedlings before they are transplanted
to the production field. Hence, training should be arranged for all technicians to train
them about the techniques of asexual grafting and post grafting handling of temperate
fruit seedlings as well. The total training cost for training technicians for 20 days is
estimated to be Birr 20,000.
VII.

FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

The financial analysis of the temperate fruit tree seedling multiplication project is based
on the data presented in the previous chapters and the following assumptions:-

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Construction period

1 year

Source of finance

30 % equity
70 % loan

Tax holidays

3 years

Bank interest

8.5%

Discount cash flow

8.5%

Accounts receivable

30 days

Raw material local

30 days

Work in progress

30 days

Finished products

5 days

Cash in hand

5 days

Accounts payable

30 days

Repair and maintenance

5% of machinery cost

A.

TOTAL INITIAL INVESTMENT COST

The total investment cost of the project including working capital is estimated at Birr
1.22 million, of which 0.41 percent will be required in foreign currency. The major
breakdown of the total initial investment cost is shown in Table 7.1.

Table 7.1
INITIAL INVESTMENT COST ( 000 Birr)
Sr.
No.

Cost Items

Local
Cost

Foreign
Cost

Total
Cost

Land lease value

552.82

552.82

Building and Civil Work

220.00

220.00

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3

Plant Machinery and Equipment

4.9

5.00

9.90

Office Furniture and Equipment

50.00

50.00

Vehicle

275.00

275.00

Pre-production Expenditure*

103.57

103.57

Working Capital

10.12

10.12

1,216.41

5.00

1,221.41

Total Investment cost

* N.B Pre-production expenditure includes interest during construction ( Birr 53.37 thousand),
Training ( Birr 20 thousand), and Birr 30 thousand costs of registration, licensing and
formation of the company including legal fees, commissioning expenses, etc.

B.

PRODUCTION COST

The annual production cost at full operation capacity is estimated at Birr 851.98 thousand
(see Table 7.2). The major components of the production cost are land lease, direct labor
and depreciation which account for 58.40%, 10.65% and 9.62% respectively. The
remaining 17.84 % is the share of raw material, utility, repair and maintenance, financial
cost and other administration cost.

Table 7.2
ANNUAL PRODUCTION COST AT FULL CAPACITY ('000 BIRR)
Items
Raw Material and Inputs
Utilities
Maintenance and repair
Labor direct

Cost

29.75
10.46

3.49
1.23

0.50
90.72

0.06
10.65

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Labor overheads

37.80
60.48

4.44
7.10

Total Operating Costs

Depreciation

497.54
727.25
81.99

58.40
85.36

Cost of Finance

42.74

5.02

851.98

100

Administration Costs
Land lease cost

9.62

Total Production Cost

C.

FINANCIAL EVALUATION

1.

Profitability

Based on the projected profit and loss statement, the project will generate a profit through
out its operation life. Annual net profit after tax will grow from Birr 337.26 thousand to
Birr 441.79 thousand during the life of the project. Moreover, at the end of the project life
the accumulated cash flow amounts to Birr 1.04 million.
2.

Ratios

In financial analysis financial ratios and efficiency ratios are used as an index or yardstick
for evaluating the financial position of a firm. It is also an indicator for the strength and
weakness of the firm or a project. Using the year-end balance sheet figures and other
relevant data, the most important ratios such as return on sales which is computed by
dividing net income by revenue, return on assets ( operating income divided by assets),
return on equity ( net profit divided by equity) and return on total investment ( net profit
plus interest divided by total investment) has been carried out over the period of the
project life and all the results are found to be satisfactory.
3.

Break-even Analysis

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The break-even analysis establishes a relationship between operation costs and revenues.
It indicates the level at which costs and revenue are in equilibrium. To this end, the breakeven point of the project including cost of finance when it starts to operate at full capacity
( year 3) is estimated by using income statement projection.
BE =

Fixed Cost

55 %

Sales Variable Cost

4.

Payback Period

The pay back period, also called pay off period is defined as the period required to
recover the original investment outlay through the accumulated net cash flows earned by
the project. Accordingly, based on the projected cash flow it is estimated that the
projects initial investment will be fully recovered within 3 years.
5.

Internal Rate of Return

The internal rate of return (IRR) is the annualized effective compounded return rate that
can be earned on the invested capital, i.e., the yield on the investment. Put another way,
the internal rate of return for an investment is the discount rate that makes the net present
value of the investment's income stream total to zero. It is an indicator of the efficiency or
quality of an investment. A project is a good investment proposition if its IRR is greater
than the rate of return that could be earned by alternate investments or putting the money
in a bank account. Accordingly, the IRR of this porject is computed to be 23.40 %
indicating the vaiability of the project.
6.

Net Present Value

Net present value (NPV) is defined as the total present ( discounted) value of a time
series of cash flows. NPV aggregates cash flows that occur during different periods of
time during the life of a project in to a common measuring unit i.e. present value.

It is a

standard method for using the time value of money to appraise long-term projects. NPV

104-21
is an indicator of how much value an investment or project adds to the capital invested. In
principal a project is accepted if the NPV is non-negative.
Accordingly, the net present value of the project at 8.5% discount rate is found to be
Birr 712.18 thousand which is acceptable.
D.

ECONOMIC BENEFITS

The project can create employment for 15 persons. The project will generate Birr 1.43
million in terms of tax revenue. The project creates forward linkage with the horticulture
sub sector.