RESEARCH PROPOSAL for Establishing Pinapple Syrup Processing Plant

ASSUMPTIONS:

1. Mr. Sane, the manager of Fruitland Agro Ltd wants to set up a small scale pineapple syrup processing plant in West Bengal.

2. He has broadly identified that his plant shall be located at Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal.

3. The manager wants to set up a plant with a 60 tonnes capacity per day.

4. There are no holidays and 1 day is of 8 working hours.

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COVERING LETTER

Trina BhagatSymbiosis Institute of International BusinessHinjewadi, PuneMaharashtra.Phone No. -+91-9503057106

To,Mr. SaneFruitland Agro Ltd.Pune.

Subject: Submission of research proposal for setting up of a pineapple syrup processing plant in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal.

Respected Sir, In The Indian Express dated 10/04/2010, you had invited interested researchers/research organizations for undertaking a marketing research project for setting up a small scale a pineapple syrup processing plant in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. With respect to that advertisement published by you, I wish to apply for this project.I have done my graduation (B.A) in Literature and presently I am pursuing MB in Agribusiness Management from Symbiosis Institute of International Business, Pune. Being an Agribusiness student, I have gained knowledge regarding the theoretical as well as the practical aspects of agriculture. Moreover I have been living in Jalpaiguri district since my childhood, therefore I have proper knowledge about that place and communication with the farmers will not be a problem. The knowledge of the Place and Management along with the basic knowledge of agriculture will help me to do the project effectively and efficiently.

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Under the guidance of Mr. S. V. Godbole, I have conducted a research project titled “Prospects of establishing a small scale tomato puree processing industry at a suitable location in Maharashtra”. The experiences of that project have really enriched my competency as a researcher. I have prepared a proposal after analyzing the project. The proposal is enclosed along with this letter for your consideration. I hope the proposal will be up to your expectations. Please feel free to contact in case of any further clarification. I am eagerly looking forward to take this job.

Thanking You,Yours truly,Trina BhagatStudentMBA-ABM (2009-2011)Symbiosis Institute of International Business

(Enclosed: Research Proposal)

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Research proposal for the establishment of pineapple syrup processing plant in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal.

1. BACKGROUND: Pineapple (Ananas comosus) is the common name for an edible tropical plant and also its fruit. It is native to Paraguay and the southern part of Brazil. Pineapple is eaten fresh or canned and is available as a juice or in juice combinations. It is used in desserts, salads, as a complement to meat dishes and in fruit cocktail. While sweet, it is known for its high acid content. Pineapples are the only bromeliad fruit in widespread cultivation. It is one of the most commercially important plants which carry out CAM photosynthesis.

Pineapple is one of the commercially important fruit crops of India. Total annual world production is estimated at 14.6 million tonnes of fruits. India is the fifth largest producer of pineapple with an annual output of about 1.2 million tonnes. The area under pineapple cultivation in India increased by 35% from 57 thousand ha. in 1991-92 to 77 thousand ha. in 2001-02 whereas the production increased by 54% from 8 lakh tonnes to 12 lakh tonnes. The states where pineapple is grown include Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur, West Bengal, Kerala, Karnataka and Goa. The other states where it is grown on a small scale are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. [Source: Database of National Horticulture Board, Ministry of Agriculture , Govt. of India.]

Important varieties cultivated in different states of India are given below : 

State   Varieties mostly grownAssam & other N.E. states

- Kew, Queen, Mauritius

Kerala - Mauritius, Kew, QueenWest Bengal - Giant Kew, Queen

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The fruit is a good source of vitamin A,B,C and also calcium, magnesium, potassium and iron. It is also a good source of bromelin, a digestive enzyme. It is consumed fresh or in the form of juice, jam, squash and syrup. Among all forms, canned slices and juice are in much demand in India, constituting about 70% of the production. Pineapple is mostly consumed fresh. There is large demand of pineapple products within the country. Bulk of the total production is consumed in institutional sector namely defence, hotels and airlines. The major exporting countries of fresh pineapple are Philippines, Mexico, Brazil, Taiwan, Malaysia and South Africa. Leading importing countries are France, Japan, USA, Italy, Germany, Spain, UK and Canada. The trend in export of fresh pineapples from India has increased considerably from 138 tonnes in 1999-2000 to 837 tonnes in 2001-02.

Pineapple is suitable for cultivation in humid tropics. The fruit grows well near the sea coast as well as in the interior; so long the temperatures are not extreme. The optimum temperature required for successful cultivation is 220-320 C. High temperature at night is deleterious for the growth of the plant and a difference of at least 40 C between day and night temperatures is desirable. It can be grown up to 1,000 m. above sea level, if the area is frost free. The rainfall requirement ranges from 100-150 cm. Sandy loam soils with pH between 5.0-6.0 are ideal for the growth of the plants. The land is prepared for planting by ploughing or digging followed by leveling. Depending on the nature of land, trenches of convenient length, about 90 cm. widths and 15-30 cm. depth are prepared.

The ideal time of planting is 12-15 months before the peak flowering season under natural conditions, which varies from December to March in different regions. Time of planting also varies from place to place depending upon the time of onset of the monsoon and the intensity of its precipitation. The fruits are harvested for canning purpose when there is a slight change at the base of developing fruits. The fruits used for table purpose are retained till they develop golden yellow colour.

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2. INTRODUCTION TO THE RESEARCHER:

The research is done by a student pursuing two-year full-time MBA (Agribusiness) from Symbiosis Institute of International Business, Pune. . She is a graduate (B.A) in Literature from St Xavier’s College Kolkata. She has undertaken a project titled “Prospects of establishing a small scale tomato puree processing industry at a suitable location in Maharashtra”. This project was done under the guidance of Prof. S.V. Godbole, an expert of marketing research and one of the best faculties of the Applied Marketing Research in India.

3. MANAGERIAL BRIEF:

Manager is an entrepreneur who wants to establish a small-scale pineapple syrup processing unit based on suitable technology which would be economical for his limited capacity, in Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal with a budget of Rs. 1, 00,000. He wants researcher/research organization to identify the production capacity of such plant within this budget and the raw material requirement. Manager is also interested in knowing the problems in cultivation practices, storage practices (if any) and marketing practices, and the farmers’ willingness to supply their produce to him under what condition.

4. OBJECTIVES AND OPERATIONAL DEFINITION:

4.1. Objectives based on secondary data: To study and suggest a suitable technology which will

economical for a small scale pineapple syrup processing unit with 60 tons per day capacity.

Sub-Objectives: To study,

The varieties suitable for pineapple syrup industry.

The various inputs required for setting up a small scale pineapple syrup processing unit.

And suggest the number of days the processing plant will operate in a year.

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4.2. Objectives based on primary data:

To conduct survey on farmers who cultivate pineapples in the Jalpaiguri district.

Sub-Objectives: To study,

The varieties of pineapple cultivated.

The problems in pineapple cultivation.

The problems in storage practices.

The marketing practices followed by the farmers.

Farmers’ willingness to supply their produce and under what condition.

4.3. Operational Definition:

Farmers : They are people engaged in cultivation of pineapples with an area of more than or equal to 1 acre.

Cultivation practices : The practice of growing pineapples.

Storage practices: The practice of storing pineapples before selling it in the market.

Marketing : Process of selling pineapples to buyers after harvesting.

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5. PROPOSED RESEARCH DESIGN

5.1. Exploratory Research: After the finalization of the managerial brief with the manager, secondary data will be collected first and examined prior to the collection of primary data.

5.1.1. Secondary data:Secondary data is required to get information about certain important topics. These topics are as follows:

a) General crop characteristics.b) Areas under pineapple cultivation.c) Area under pineapple cultivation in Jalpaiguri district.d) Population data, literacy data, etc. of that area.e) Cultivation practices followed for growing pineapple.f) Different products of pineapple and their uses.g) Additional products that can be developed in the

plant with same amount of raw material.h) Financial aspects of cultivation.i) Information on marketing practices and problems

in marketing. j) Sources of procurement of pineapple.k) Government policies regarding procurement, subsidy in

setting of processing units, and marketing.l) Information from suppliers of machinery and

finished products.

The following sources shall be referred for the collection of information:

Websites of various institutions/ organizations. Agriculture magazines and journals. Research papers. Government publications. Project reports on different aspects of pineapple.

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5.1.2. A visits to the area of operation:

The area visits shall be conducted to Jalpaiguri District to collect the required information for setting up a pineapple syrup processing plant in West Bengal.

5.1.3. Focus groups Focus group discussions of 8-12 farmers growing pineapple in at least one acre of land is proposed to be conducted. Focus group will give a better understanding of the various practices followed by farmers and their respective problems. This information will be beneficial while designing an appropriate questionnaire.

Secondary data will help in getting knowledge about the various aspects of the crop. It will help in identifying sampling frame and framing of the questionnaire. It can also be used for comparing the economical aspects of pineapple.

5.2. Data Collection Design:

5.2.1. Survey Type: Mall Interview

Reason for Mall Interview:

Flexibility: The research requires a direct and open communication between the interviewer and the respondent, especially for the open ended questions. Since other methods of survey namely telephonic, mail or electronic survey methods do not establish such communications, we remain with personnel interviews, ie, farm, home or mall survey method. Personnel interviews allow the investigator to explain and clarify difficult questions and entail probing and prompting during the survey to enhance validity, diversity and exhaustiveness.

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Quantity of information:

Since the questionnaire will be semi-structured, (i.e. some open ended questions and some closed ended questions) and contain large amount of data to be collected, so farm, home or mall interview is the obvious choice for the survey method. Farm or home interview helps in easy recording of open ended questions with more responses than mall interview. Thus the former is a better choice for survey method. Further, a questionnaire requires a minimum of 15-20 minutes for completion. Since this much time is not there with the respondent in mall interview, farm or home interview would have been the best option for the survey. But due to the time and budget constraints farm or home interview is not possible to conduct. So, mall survey is the most convenient option for the research.

5.2.2. Type of questionnaire : Semi structure, Open questionnaire.

Semi structure, open questionnaire is proposed because it is necessary to keep some of the questions open ended as the secondary data does not indicate all possible responses. Responses to some questions, for example, “What are your terms and conditions?” do not have any fixed response, and hence, should be kept open ended. Similarly, “What did you use for sowing?” will have only two options of seeds or seedlings as response, so it should be kept as a multiple choice question. Further, for questions like “What were the problems faced by you in sowing of seeds?” there are multiple responses, so the question will be kept with multiple choice with a various relevant options with the last option left open ended for mentioning any other problem apart from those listed in options. Therefore, it is proposed to make the questionnaire semi-structured. The respondents will be able to give valuable insight regarding the problems faced by them in growing pineapple, and this would help in taking better decision.

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5.2.3. Classificatory Variable:

Classificatory variable for the research project shall be land area under cultivation of pineapple possessed by the respondents. This is because size of land definitely influences the cultivation practices, production, marketing practices and relevant problems faced by the respondents. Variety will also be another classificatory variable because it is important to know whether the farmer is growing suitable or non suitable variety of pineapple for syrup production. Other variables like age, gender etc is not going to be classificatory variables, since they are not going to have a significant impact on the production aspects and availability of pineapple.

5.2.4. Scaling:

Comparative method of scaling is proposed. Scaling would be used for data related to the problems faced by the respondents during post harvest activities, storage and marketing. It will help in determining the major problems and conditions, on which the manager should focus, while procurement of pineapple.

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6. PROPOSED SAMPLING DESIGN:

6.1. Sample size:For the given research, the respondents will be member(s) of household growing pineapple is an area more than equal to 1 acre. So the proposed sample size for the research is 375. [For details refer to Annexure I]

6.2. Sample type:

Non probabilistic sampling technique shall be adopted. Probability sampling is avoided as the sampling has to be done on the basis of Mall Interview, and it is not possible to pre specify every potential sample of a given sample that could be drawn with their probability of being selected. Thus due to inadequacy of sampling frame and not to make the research complicated, non- probabilistic sampling technique shall be adopted. Efforts shall be made to avoid selection biases while selecting the respondents for better representation. Among non probabilistic sampling techniques, Quota sampling shall be done where the sample elements selected fit the control characteristic of being a pineapple cultivator with land area of 1 acre or more. Quota ensures that the composition of the sample is same as the composition of the population with respect to the characteristic of interest.

6.2. Sampling procedure:

Farmers will be divided into three categories on the basis of total land area under pineapple cultivation viz. small (<1 acre area), medium (1-3acre) and, large (>3 acre). Land holding has been taken as classificatory variable because cultivation practices, production, storage and marketing practices are affected by the size of the land holding. Moreover, size gives a fair representation of each category of farmer. Within each quota, simple random sampling will be done to obtain the total sample.

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7. PROPOSED FIELDWORK DESIGN:

7.1. Organizational Structure:Organizational design shall be composed as shown in figure 7.1.:

Figure: 7.1

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RESEARCHER

IN CHARGE OF FIELDWORK

TRAINER

ASSISTANT

SUPERVISOR

SUPERVISOR

INVESTIGATORDATA ENTRY OPERATORS

SYSTEM EXPERT

Researcher:

There will be one researcher. The supervisor, trainer, field incharge, and system expert will function under his supervision. The researcher will be involved in the following tasks:

Preliminary analysis Finalization of objectives Questionnaire design Sampling design Recruitment and selection Data analysis Report writing

Trainer:

A trainer will be a person who is an expert in the field of research. He will be responsible for giving fieldwork training to the investigators.

Supervisor:

Supervisor will be responsible for supervising and coordinating the activities of the investigator.

Investigators:

Five investigators will be appointed for surveying and collecting data

System Expert:

System expert will be a person with good computer skills. He will be responsible for coding and the data entry operators.

Data entry Operators:

They will be responsible for data cleaning and entry of data.

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7.2. Activity Chart:

Activity chart, which shows estimated duration of each activity proposed to be conducted in weeks, is prepared with the help of Microsoft Office Project. All the work is divided into hours. The data is then converted to weeks, by assuming that 1 day is of 8 working hours. The estimated duration of the research project comes out to be 560 hours i.e. 10 weeks.

Table 7.2.1 shows the estimated duration of various activities proposed to be undertaken during the research. Table 7.2.1

Sl. No Activity Hours required

Days Predecessors

1 Secondary data search 16 2

2 Finalization of Objectives 16 2 1

3 Research design 24 3 2

4 Questionnaire design 40 5 3

5 Sampling design 32 4 4

6 Recruitment and selection 24 3 5

7 Training 24 3 6

8 Allocation of jobs 8 1 7

9 Fieldwork 224 28 8,4,5

10 Data cleaning, coding and data entry

112 14 9

11 Tabulation and analysis 24 3 10

12 Draft report writing 16 2 11

13 Final report submission 16 2 12

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Table 7.2.2 shows the duration in weeks required for the project.

Table 7.2.2 WEEKS

Activity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Secondary data search

Finalization of Objectives

Research design

Questionnaire design

Sampling design

Recruitment and selection

Training

Allocation of jobs

Fieldwork

Data cleaning, coding and data entry

Tabulation and analysis

Draft report writing

Final report submission

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8. ANALYTICAL DESIGN:

The data collected will be coded and then entered into an excel spread sheet. Two sets of data entry shall be made in order to perform cross check and bound checks. For analysis, the respondents shall be divided on the basis of land area under cultivation of pineapples and the varieties used for cultivation. The statistical techniques of z- test will be applied to check whether the classification of respondents according to land and varieties were significantly different or not. If the total sample size of the respondent under each category is more than 25 then there will not be any need for performing t-test.

9. FINANCIAL REQUIREMENT:

Budgetary requirement has been divided into three parts:

Personnel (30% of the total budget) Field work (40% of the total budget) Office overhead (30% o the total budget)

Estimated financial requirements for the entire research project are calculated below.

9.1. Personnel (except field work) :

Researcher would be paid Rs.20, 000, system expert would be paid Rs.3, 000, data entry operator would be paid 1, 000 and assistant would be paid 1,000for the whole project.

9.2. Field Work:

Salary (fieldwork + TA/DA) paid to supervisor, trainer, and investigator.

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This is shown below in table 9.2

Table 9.2

Days for field work

Rate( Rs/ Day)

Cost(In Rs.)

Supervisor 22 300 6600Trainer 3 800 2400Investigator 1 20 250 5000Investigator 2 20 250 5000Investigator 3 20 250 5000Investigator 4 20 250 5000

TOTAL 29000

9.3. Office and administrative overheads:This includes all the expenses incurred on: a) Stationery b) Printing c) Photo statd) Telephone e) Other items

On an estimate it would amount to Rs.15, 000

9.4. Miscellaneous Expenses:

It includes expenses incurred on consultancy with experts, conducting focal group discussions etc.These will amount up to Rs.12500

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9.5. Total financial requirements for the research project amount to Rs. 92,500 as shown below in table 9.5:

Table 9.5

Particulars Amount (Rs.)

Researcher 20000System Expert 3000Data entry operator 1000Assistant 1000Field Work 40000Office and administrative overheads

15000

Other expenses 12500Total 92500

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ANNEXURE I

Proposed Sample Size:

Total duration of the project = 10 weeks

Pre-fieldwork (30% of the time) = 3 weeksFieldwork (40% of the time) = 4 weeksPost-fieldwork (30% of the time) = 3 weeks

Number of days for field work = 4*7= 28daysSelection and recruitment = 3 daysTraining and pre-testing = 2 + 1=3 daysContingency = 2 days

Actual time for fieldwork = 20 days

Total Budget of the project = Rs. 1, 00,000Budget for fieldwork (40%) = Rs. 40,000Selection and recruitment = Rs. 4,000Training = Rs. 7,000Supervisors allowance = Rs. 300*22 = Rs. 6,600Contingency = Rs. 1,400

Budget for actual fieldwork = Rs. 21,000

Investigators expense per day = Rs. 250Productivity = 5 interviews Investigator cost per interview = 250/5= Rs. 50

Proposed sample size = 21000/50 = 420

Investigator works for = 20 days Investigator will take = 20*5= 100 interviews

Number of investigators = 420/100= 4.2= 4

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(10% of the proposed sample size is taken safety margin for the purpose of negotiation. Therefore the proposed sample size mentioned to the manager is 375 and not 420)

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