The Impact of Financial Access on Firm Growth: Evidence from Ethiopian Grain Traders and Millers

Although both formal and informal financial institutions exist in developing economies, firms are often constrained by lack of access to financial services. Grain traders and millers in Ethiopia need a lot of finance to pay their suppliers (e.g. farmers) but it is not clear whether or not which sources of credit matter most for their growth and expansion. Using firm survey data collected for the purpose, we assessed access to and the impact of different sources of finance on growth of traders and millers in Ethiopia. Descriptive and econometric methods (e.g. ordered probit) were employed to address the issue. The results indicate that both formal and informal sources of credits are accessed by a small number of firms on a sporadic basis. With credit from commercial banks is mainly channeled to large businesses while microfinance institutions (MFIs) are designed to assist small and micro enterprises as part of a poverty alleviation strategy, medium firms such as most grain traders and millers have limited access to finance. Bank or MFI credit was found to have no impact on growth and expansion in the econometric analysis. Access to informal credit is also limited and largely used to meet short-term emergency cash requirements. Without improved and regular access to finance, grain traders and millers cannot make the necessary investment to provide effective marketing services for the transformation of agriculture.Key words: finance, financial access, Growth, Grain, Grain traders and millers, Ethiopi

Detection Of Apple Stem Grooving Virus In Dormant Apple Trees With Crude Extracts As Templates For One-Step Rt-Pcr

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Food-fodder performance of food and malt barley cultivars in Ethiopian highlands

In Ethiopia, barley selection has focused on grain yield traits. Limited information is available on straw yield and its nutritive value. The aim of this study was to screen cultivars for grain and straw yield and nutritive value using forty cultivars of food and malt barley types at two locations in Ethiopia (Bekoji and Kofele) in 2018. Food-fodder quality traits investigated were crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and metabolizable energy (ME) of grain and straw. Location, cultivar and their interaction affected the performance in malt as well as food barley types. Wide cultivars differences were observed within food and malt types respectively: Grain CP: 10.2-12.2% and 11.4.1-13.3%, grain NDF: 40-2-52.7% and 38-42.9%, grain ME: 9.9-12.3 MJ/kg and 12.1-14.5 MJ/kg, straw CP: 4.1-5.7% and 4.9-6.2%, straw NDF: 73.5-76.7% and 72.9-76.1%, straw ME: 5-5.6 MJ/kg and 5.3-5.8 MJ/kg. Across locations, IBON174/03 produced most grain (6.95 t/ha), traveller produced most straw (9.1t/ha) and HB1963 was relatively high in both straw 8.4 t/ha and grain yield 6.4 t/ha, making it an interesting food-feed cultivar. Therefore IBON174/03, traveller and HB1963 are promising barley cultivars for the study area

Barley straw use for animal feed and soil mulch in Ethiopian highlands mixed crop-livestock systems

Barley straw serves as livestock feed and mulch for soil and water conservation in the mixed barley-livestock systems of the Ethiopian highlands. High demand for barley straw biomass in the system creates competition between the two uses. This study aimed to identify the determinants of the utilization of barley straw for mulch and feed. Data on the production and use of barley straw were collected from 236 households using a structured questionnaire. Use of the straw for the purposes of soil mulch at three levels, 0–15% (marginal mulching), 15–35% (optimal mulching), 35–100% (over-mulching), was analyzed using a multinomial logit model. The optimal proportion of barley straw used as soil mulch was positively affected by the educational level of the household head, family size, distance between cropping land and homestead, number of equines in the household and amount of straw production. Female-headed households were more likely to mulch less than the optimal amount of barley straw. In general, the more the farmer’s exposure to formal extension, the less the proportion of barley straw used for soil mulching. This study provides guidance for the proportional utilization of barley straw. This will contribute to the design of appropriate biomass utilization strategies in barley-livestock farming systems

Effect of barley variety on feed intake, digestibility, body weight gain and carcass characteristics in fattening lambs

Twenty lambs (18 ± 0.22 kg initial weight) were blocked by weight and individually assigned into pens to evaluate the effects of barley straw variety on digestibility, growth performance and carcass characteristics. The following four treatments were tested: (1) a local barley straw (as control), (2) HB1963 (high grain and straw yields), (3) Traveller (high straw yielder), and (4) IBON174/03 (high grain yielder). A concentrate (50:50 wheat bran and noug seed cake) was offered constantly (300 DM g), whereas the straw was offered ad libitum. The digestibility trial lasted 22 days (15 days to adapt to dietary treatments and 7 days for sampling). The growth performance trial lasted 90 days. At the end, all of the lambs were slaughtered, and their carcasses were evaluated. The IBON174/03 variety had a higher (p < 0.05) intake of organic matter and crude protein, a higher dry matter and organic matter digestibility than the control, and a faster growth than the control. The feed-to-gain ratio was similar among treatments. The slaughter and empty body weights of lambs in the IBON174/03 group were higher than the control variety (p < 0.05). The present study showed that the feeding value of barley straw can differ substantially between varieties and therefore must be considered in the choice of a barley variety

Multiplex quantitative PCR for single-reaction genetically modified (GM) plant detection and identification of false-positive GM plants linked to Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) infection.

BACKGROUND:Most genetically modified (GM) plants contain a promoter, P35S, from the plant virus, Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV), and many have a terminator, TNOS, derived from the bacterium, Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Assays designed to detect GM plants often target the P35S and/or TNOS DNA sequences. However, because the P35S promoter is derived from CaMV, these detection assays can yield false-positives from non-GM plants infected by this naturally-occurring virus. RESULTS:Here we report the development of an assay designed to distinguish CaMV-infected plants from GM plants in a single multiplexed quantitative PCR (qPCR) reaction. Following initial testing and optimization via PCR and singleplex-to-multiplex qPCR on both plasmid and plant DNA, TaqMan qPCR probes with different fluorescence wavelengths were designed to target actin (a positive-control plant gene), P35S, P3 (a CaMV-specific gene), and TNOS. We tested the specificity of our quadruplex qPCR assay using different DNA extracts from organic watercress and both organic and GM canola, all with and without CaMV infection, and by using commercial and industrial samples. The limit of detection (LOD) of each target was determined to be 1% for actin, 0.001% for P35S, and 0.01% for both P3 and TNOS. CONCLUSIONS:This assay was able to distinguish CaMV-infected plants from GM plants in a single multiplexed qPCR reaction for all samples tested in this study, suggesting that this protocol is broadly applicable and readily transferrable to any interested parties with a qPCR platform

Evaluation of dried papaya pomace meal in laying hen diets

In the search for alternative feed resources for laying hens, papaya pomace is available as industrial by-product but information on its nutritive value is lacking. Dried papaya pomace was included in a common laying hen diet at 0%, 2.5%, 5% and 7.5% to evaluate its effect on egg production performance, egg quality and general health parameters in Bovan brown layers. For every inclusion level, three cages with ten 20-week-old layers were used, making a total of 120 hens. The effect of dried papaya pomace inclusion on egg production, egg quality and general health parameters was evaluated. Dried papaya pomace inclusion improved egg production and laying by 6.15% and 17% respectively, while it significantly decreased feed conversion ratio by 7.5%. Eggshell weight, thickness and strength of PP5 were higher than the control by 0.3 g, 0.8 mm and 0.43 kg/cm2, respectively. There was a significant improvement in albumin weight (by 1.5 g/L), albumin height (2.1 mm), yolk weight (0.4 g/L), yolk height (0.4 mm), yolk colour (4.4 points) and Haugh unit (8 points) due to PP5 treatment. Inclusion of papaya pomace at a level of 7.5% of layers diet had negative effect on Egg production, feed conversion ratio and interior and exterior egg quality traits. Inclusion of papaya pomace affected significantly serum total cholesterol, serum triglyceride, serum low density lipoprotein, serum high density lipoprotein, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and white blood cell count. However, all blood traits of the experimental animals were within the normal ranges reported for layers. Inclusion of papaya pomace in 5% of layers commercial diets improves egg production and quality without negative impact on health while decreasing feeding cost