Branches Outside the Kingdom: Cairo: 002023034544 - Khartoum: 0024911480295 - Baghdad: 0096415435321

One might ask, what is the story behind the new genera-tion of Mechanized Irrigation systems recently introduced byAlKhorayef? And why did the company choose to use the Ara-bic Trade name "Almutawwar?"

It comes as no surprise to any one that Alkhorayef Group,market leader in the Middle East and North Africa is the world-wide second largest center pivot manufacturer, and had pro-duced more than 100,000 spans so far, and solely owns theunique technology of lining steel pipes with high density poly-ethylene branded as PERMAPIPETM to conclude it's achieve-ments with Almutawwar (translated as "The Ultimate".

This new generation was born, grown and matured in thehands of our valued customers, and hence they called it "The Ul-timate". It is a name that speaks for itself after it was a dream,which become a reality.

Almutawwar new generation is a result of accumulated expe-rience of more than twenty-five years in mechanized irrigation;it is the achievement of our dedicated and hard working teamswho decided to accept the challenge of perfecting this product.

Almutawwar center pivot have eliminated past gaps, addeda wealth experience of the present and looked forward to thefuture vision of tomorrow's technologies. Therefore it is apride to our customers, our community and to our Group.

We cannot talk about this new generation of Almutaw-war without praising those dedicated Marketers, Engineersand Technicians of Alkhorayef Group whose contribu-tion made Almutawwar reaches its objectives and to re-flect our motto "A Name You Can Trust".

I take this opportunity to thank our important strate-gic partners, our valued customers who made thismission successful.

A Name You Can Trust

EditorialEditorial

3issue 15, Apr 2003

By: Mohammed A. Alkhorayef President & CEO, Industrial Affairs

All correspondents should be sent to Editor -in-Chief,G.M., Human Resources Department

P. O. Box 305, Riyadh 11411Tel: 01/4955452 Fax: 01/4950261

E.Mail: sswailem@alkhorayef.com.

Chairman Board of Directors

Abdulrahman Abdullah AlkhorayefAbdulrahman Abdullah Alkhorayef

Editor -in-Chief

Saud Abdulaziz Alswailem

Alkhorayef’s Mission

Alkhorayef Agricultural Projects CompanyRiyadh 11583 P. O. Box 53390

Tel:(+9661) 4351479-4351480

Fax:(+9661) 4352968

Abdullah Ibrahim Alkhorayef Sons CompanyRiyadh 11411 P. O. Box 305

Tel:(+9661)4351479-4351480

Fax:(+9661)4358852

Alkhorayef Operation& Maintenance CompanyRiyadh 11595 P. O. Box 62637

Tel:(+9661) 4351479

Fax:(+9661) 4357410

Saudi Parts Center Co.Riyadh 11551 P. O. Box 42679

Tel:(+9661) 4950917-4953479

Fax:(+9661) 4953351

AlNakhil PaperIndustries CompanyRiyadh 11416 P. O. Box 22815

Tel: (+9661) 2650201

Fax:(+9661) 2650182

Trans Orient ModernMachinery Co.Head Office:

Riyadh 11412 P. O. Box 4605

Tel: (+9661) 4786161 Fax:(+9661) 4775439

Saudi Installment HouseRiyadh 11451 P. O. Box 18331Tel: (+9661) 4925000 Fax:(+9661) 4922570

Alkhorayef Industries Company Ltd.Riyadh 11551 P. O. Box 42852

Tel: (+9661) 2651124 - 2652057

Fax: (+9961) 2652348

Alkhorayef CommercialCompany Ltd.Riyadh 11411 P. O. Box 305

Tel:(+9661) 4955452 Fax:(+9661) 4950261

Alkhorayef ManagementServices (AMS)Riyadh 11411 P. O. Box 305

Tel:(+9661) 4600858

Fax:(+9661) 4600815

Editing Supervisor

Mohammed M. Al-Shihri

P.O.Box.26450 Riyadh.11486Tel.4193123,4192153

Fax.4192640

Alkhorayef’s Mission

Publisher

Views published in Alkhorayef Bulletin express only their writers and the Bulletin shall hold no responsibility towards them.

To strive for leadership in allits business activities by supplying quality products along with professional after-sales support through itscarefully selected and highlyprofessional employees and toplay a vital role in technologytransfer and environmental protection.

Ibrahim Alkhorayef: Life Full of Achievements

It is difficult to write aboutthe multi-faceted personalityof the late Sheikh IbrahimAlkhorayef. He was the em-bodiment of tolerance andsimplicity. He had a generousheart and a kind disposition tothe weak and the poor. Hetreated his employees, espe-cially the expatriates, asbrothers. This helped in rais-ing the morale of the employ-ees and encouraging them toexert their best efforts in serv-ing the company.

Sheikh Ibrahim had sownthis love seed, which was laternourished by his brothers. Thisfraternal behavior toward expa

triate employees, of all na-tionalities, is rarely found inany establishment or companyin the Kingdom.

Employees' welfareSheikh Ibrahim was keen on

catering to the employees' needsand removing their obstacles,which were mostly financial, sothat all employees could enterand leave their offices withbroad smiles.

Sheikh Ibrahim used towork even on holidays. Heloved farms and shoulderedthe task of the farm supervisorwho solved all problems of thefarmers. Another reason be-hind the success of the Alkho

rayef Group was that all de-cisions were based on theshoura "consultation" princi-ple in which his brotherSheikh Abdulrahman wasclosely involved.

Charitable activitiesWorks in this field were tre-

mendous. Sheikh Ibrahim usedto feed the poor, help the needy;and was usually delighted whenhe performed these charitableworks. He continued these char-itable deeds started by his latefather Abdullah.

This is a short biography of anoble soul who during his life-time enriched and brightened thelives of others to say the least.

5issue 15, Apr 2003

NewsNews

H.E. the undersec-retary of Alkharjprovince opened theAlkharj agriculturalexhibition on 1/3/2003.

Chairmen of theboard of directors ofAlkhorayef Commer-cial Co. (ACC) andAlkhorayef Indus-tries Co. (AIC) ac-companied the under-secretary as officialsponsors of Mo-hammed Saad Al Ru-maih Est. exhibition.

H.E. lauded theexhibition and thedistinguished pres-ence of AlkhorayefGroup at such majorevents.

Agricultural Exhibition Openedat Alkharj

Pump installationin the Custodianof the Two HolyMosques’ Drink-ing Water Project

in HoraimlaAt a grand ceremony

held on the 18th of DhulQuaidah, 1423 H, at Ho-raimla, HRH Prince Abdu-laziz bin Fahd bin Abdula-ziz Al Saud, StateMinister, Cabinet Memberand Chairman of the Cabi-net Headquarters Bureau,inaugurated the Custodianof the Two Holy Mosques'Horaimla drinking waterproject. HRH executed theproject at his own expenseduring the holy month ofRamadan .

The Alkhorayef Groupof Companies (AGCs) im-ported and installed thesubmersible electric pumpwith all other equipmentsuch as pipes, special con-trol panel and electrictransformer.

Alkhorayef Co. Participates in Khartoum International FairAlkhorayef Investment

Company. (AICO) partici-pated in Khartoum Inter-national Fair held in theSudanese capital, Khar-toum, in February thisyear.

AICO's stand was astar attraction during theten-day fair. A Canadiandelegation visited theheadquarters of the Arabi-an Co. at Um Dom sub-urb, where it was briefedon the irrigation systems and plowing machinery.

Alkhorayef bulletin was distributed at the fair, where itwon favorable attention.

6 issue 15, Apr 2003

NewsNews

Alkhorayef Industries Co. (AIC)has acquired the International Stan-dards certificate ISO 2000:9001(thelatest standard) after succeeding in atest from 25th to 26th November2002. The certificate issuing staff inthe Quality Control Institute in Can-ada, conducted the test.

Alkhorayef Industries sees that theexecution of quality management servic-es (QMS) will lead to the continuous im-provement of engine performance, whichin turn will lead to enhancing customersatisfaction, both nationally and Interna-tionally, and benefit workers.

An official ceremony for launching the new irrigationsystem, the Almutawar, was held on Thursday 13/3/2003.The Almutawar is the result of the long experience of Alk-

The "Almutawar," the New Irrigation System, launched

ISO International Certificate for Alkhorayef Industries Co.

horayef Co. in different sectors of agri-culture and irrigation systems.

H.E. Mr. Mohammed Abdullah Alk-horayef, President and CEO of Alkhoray-ef Industries Company (AIC) dwelt onthe company's experience in developingthe new product and the latest tech-niques. A team of experts explained thenew features of the system as well as thereasons for selection and benefits accru-ing to the farmer, agriculturally and eco-nomically.

The participants toured the company'sfactories for a briefing on the new manu-facturing equipment that effectively con-tributed to this development, technicallyand technologically, compared to similarequipment in the local and internationalmarkets.

The new irrigation system was celebrat-ed at a function held at the company'sfarm. The Chairman of Board of Directorsof Alkhorayef Group of Companies (AGC),Akhorayef Commercial Co. (ACC) andAlkhorayef Industries Company (AIC) wit-nessed the inauguration of the first centerpivot irrigation system branded the Almu-tawar. This was followed by a dinner ban-quet at which the company's section andbranch directors as well as other senior of-ficials were present.

7issue 15, Apr 2003

The Stations Team won the friendship trophy ofthe football tournament organized by AlkhorayefOperation & Maintenance Co. (AOMC) in Dam-mam after defeating the Garage Team 5-3 in a pen-alty shootout.

The tournament, held between 27/2/2003 and 7/3/2003, was attended by a large number of fans ofboth teams which competed in the finals. Eng. Sa-bah Al Raheem, health-engineering manager, andEng.Mohammed Abdulraziq, Dammam projectmanager, were among those present.

A ceremony was held after the final match, fol-lowed by the distribution of trophy and medals to

the winning team by the project manager and thetournament organizing committee.

Al Riyadh newspaper received the Sports Shieldin appreciation of its coverage. Sheikh Faisal Al Su-hail, Al Riyadh newspaper's Chairman of the Boardof Directors and General Supervisor, received theSports Shield on behalf of the newspaper.

Stations Team Wins Alkho-rayef Tournament Trophy

HH Prince Abdullah bin Faisal binTurki, governor of the Saudi ArabianGeneral Investment Authority (SAGIA),inaugurated the Saudi Printing, Packag-ing, Plastics and Petrochemicals Exhibi-tion, which was held from March 16 to20, 2003 in Riyadh.

Al Nakhil Paper Co. and Trans OrientModern Machinery Co. participated in ajoint stand to beef up the presence ofthese two strategic manufacturing compa-nies in this field and boost customers’confidence. The two companies demon-strated their ability in meeting the cus-tomers’ needs in terms of the supply ofmachinery, printing materials, spare partsand paper.

The customers responded to this ges-ture with great satisfaction. Al NakhilPaper Co. seized this opportunity to dis-play its new pre-collected paper product,which helps save time and effort by mak-ing the process of paper collection has-sle-free. The product was widely appre-ciated by customers who rushed forsample trials.

The product was recently developedin cooperation with the General Securityprinting press that approved its technicalspecifications.

Alkhorayef in the Saudi Printing Art Expo.

HH Prince Abdullah bin Faisal bin Turki after the inauguration of the Saudi Printing Art Expo.

Sheikh Bandar Ibrahim Alkhorayef and Mr.Mohammed Karam with customers and importers in the Exhibition.

8 issue 15, Apr 2003

NewsNews

Mr. Bassam Ahid Twofiq Abu Ghazali,branch manager of Alkhorayef CommercialCo. (ACC) in Hail, has obtained an appreci-ation certificate from the manager of theTechnical Training Center in Hail for thesuccessful participation of the ACC branchin the cooperative training program from11/9/1423H to 19/11/1423H of the academicyear 1423H-1424H.

The Human Resources De-partment (HRD) represented byMr. Saud Abdulaziz Alswailem,HR General Manager, presentedan appreciation letter to Mr.Hussein Abdulrahman Al Zagar-ty, Alkhorayef Operation &Maintenance Company’s HRDSuperrisor, Dammam Branch forthe evaluation he made for thestaff status in Dammam project.His report included propositionsand ideas. Mr. Alswailemthanked Mr.Al Zagarty for theefforts exerted in performingthe tasks assigned to him.

Al Zagarty Re-ceives Apprecia-

tion Letter

Congratulations

Appreciation Certificate forACC's Manager in Hail

9issue 15, Apr 2003

* Mr. Mahmoud Abdulsalam Taha,employee of Alkhorayed Co., wasblessed with a beautiful baby girl," Rana". Congratulations

* Mr. Saad Ahmed Awad has obtainedthe Master's Degree in BusinessAdministration. Mr. Saad express-es his thanks and deep gratitude toMr. Saud Al Swailem, AlkhorayefCo.'s Human Resources Depart-ment General Manager, for his en-couragement.

* Mr. Iyad Thabit Al Anywas also blessed with abeautiful baby girl whobrought happiness to hisfamily. Congratulations.

* Mr. Imam Ghory, from Alkho-rayef Co., was blessed with ababy boy. He named himMohammed Aman whospread happiness in his fami-ly. Congratulations.

“The Ultimate( or Almutawwarin Arabic)” is the inspired name forthe new generation of automatic ir-rigation systems. It is highly effi-cient as the agricultural develop-ment has entailed certain type ofmodern devices that help expandthe agricultural area, support andincrease its productivity.

‘Almutawwar’ boasts the fol-lowing aspects, which make it aleader in this field:

It has the highest possible effi-ciency in irrigation distribution, im-plementation and harmony throughthe controlling rate of sprinklingalong the pipeline by choosingsprinklers’ gauges, in-between spacesand suitable operating pressure to

10 issue 15, Apr 2003

Almutawwarthe Latest Irrigation System for the

Expansion of Agricultural Area

gramming and sprinkler production,where there are nozzles of 0.086 -0.41 inches (2.18 - 10.41 mm). Spe-cial programming can also be madefor the addition of fertilizers andchemical substances at low rates, soas to keep the concentration of thesesubstances and guarantee the distri-bution consistency of irrigation waterloaded with chemicals, if any, alongthe irrigation system and reach therequired designed pressure at the endof the system to guarantee the deliv-ery of required amount of water.Hence, it would seem pertinent toadd a pressure meter for the measure-ment of pressure at the end of the ir-rigation system, in order to ensurethat the required pressure is reached.

reach a level of interference not lessthan 200%. The need for close dis-tances between sprinklers is in-creased in the outer towers of thecenter pivot irrigation system, wherethese towers represent the maximumarea of the irrigation system. There-fore, it is the area that should becared for and it has to be ensured thatsuitable amounts of water and ferti-lizers are obtained. And, as most fer-tilizers are added through injection inthe center pivot irrigation system,sprinklers should be chosen and ar-ranged to obtain a regular rate of irri-gation along the irrigation system.

The latest and specialized pro-grams from established Americancompanies are used in irrigation pro-

ReportReport

* Characterized with high efficiency forirrigation distribution, applicationand consistency.

* Pressure on sprinklers is equalthroughout the system.

* Pipes are lined with polyethylene toresist hot and corrosive water.

11issue 15, Apr 2003

Almutawwar is equipped with pressure regulators for equal pressure onsprinklers along the irrigation system and for better performance. Almu-tawwar is especially used in "up and down" fields and in systems longerthan 250m, where differences in pressure are big at the beginning and endof irrigation system.

Keeping a constant pressure on sprinklers can maintain a wet diameter,size of drops and fixed irrigation consistency along the system. Pressure reg-ulator can also deal with water coming out of sprinklers, where the rate ofaddition will be very accurate compared to when the irrigation system is op-erated without pressure regulators. Thus, the quantity of water wasted can bereduced in the first towers, where pressure is high and the amount of water tobe delivered to the crop is maintained for the purpose of equal and highestproductivity at the beginning and end of the system and minimizing cost.

Almutawwar is unique worldwide for the polyethylene-lined pipes op-tion, for giving a special protection against hot and corrosive water andmaintaining fixed water flow for years. It has a ten-year warranty for thepipes, which are exported, to all parts of the world, including the US. It isavailable in a diameter of 5/8-6 and 5/8-8 inches.

Almutawwar has many choices for sprinklers suitable for all types ofsoils, different crops, strong wind and hot climates to reduce evaporationand erosion. There are various types of sprinklers:

- Fixed pad sprinklers: Recommended for good-drainage, high temper-ature and strong wind agricultural lands, where a strong resistance toevaporation and wind erosion characterizes them.

- Rotating pad sprinklers: Recommended for high-price crops e.g. po-tatoes, onion and peanuts and in semi-porous agricultural lands. There isalso a special sprinkler for the irrigation of sorghum and high-price crops.Half circular sprinklers for tree irrigation in the dry wheel track are alsoavailable.

Furthermore, Almutawwar is also equipped with heavy-duty gears witha special type of leakage proof, solar spiral engines of low fuel consump-tion, and an aluminum outer cover to overcome erosion and increase thespeed of heat exchange. It is completely separated from the ambient tem-perature and has a high speed that is suitable for field requirements. Almu-tawwar is able to overcome sticking into mud due to the presence of an ir-rigation system behind the wheels or a dry wheel track system. It ends upwith a semi-circular sprinkler that separates the sprinkled area from thewheels' track. It is also equipped with down going metal or rubber lines ofvarious lengths, as per the need and type of crop.

The system's components are especially manufactured to suit the oper-ational conditions inside and outside the Kingdom. They are available inmany after-sale centers and warranted for two year. You only need to visitthe nearest branch of Alkhorayef Commercial Company (ACC) or an au-thorized distributor to get the details.

Dear farmer, the money youhave invested in your farm andthe efforts you have exerted areinvaluable. Undoubtedly, youare looking for success in yourfarming. All these efforts arefor the sake of reaping the fruitsat the end of every season andto seeing your life’s dreamcome true.

Using the original Volvospare parts is the only way toextend the engine life expectan-cy and the safest and optimumguarantee for the continuity ofengine operation. Counterfeitspare parts do not guaranteecontinuity of engine operation.Using them in order to savesome money does a great dealof harm to the engine, whichcould break down in critical sit-uations.

Volvo Penta has conductedseveral tests on the parts thatare installed in its engines to as-certain the conformity of eachcomponent with the highestquality standards. These compo-nents are provided by the after-

12 issue 15, Apr 2003

the continued success of VolvoPenta operations and its agentACC.

The constant support pro-vided by the Saudi governmentthat raised the Kingdom to thelevel of the advanced countriesin agriculture, geographical lo-cation of the Kingdom, prevail-ing climatic conditions, opera-tion of these engines for longhours on an almost daily basis,their exposure to high tempera-ture, dust and sands have con-tinuously increased the demandfor these agricultural engines.Though Volvo Penta has con-sidered the climatic conditionsof the Kingdom in the manu-facture of these engines, the

sale service sections as non-sanctioned parts. In the King-dom, ACC is regarded as theleading company in the field ofmanaging the center pivot irri-gation systems, pumps, dieselengines and their uses. ACC hasalso been the agent and the maindistributor of Volvo Penta en-gines for decades. Its salesamounted to 50,000 engines inthe different regions, 17,000 ofwhich are still operating trou-ble-free, thanks to after-sale ser-vice section. The huge stock ofthe genuine spare parts, theirregular availability in the differ-ent regions of the Kingdom, to-gether with the sources of themaintenance teams have led to

Opt for Volvo Penta

GenuineParts

ReportReport

By: Eng. Khalid Bayoumi

13issue 15, Apr 2003

long run. Thus, it has to use thegenuine spare parts that complywith the international standardsand with the Kingdom's climaticconditions.

Specifications of Volvo Pen-ta genuine spare parts are wellknown to all as:- Components that are manufac-

tured according to Volvo Pen-ta specifications.

- The company observes qualitycontrol.

- Products or packages that bearVolvo Penta’s trademark.

- Distributed by the company.- Guaranteed according to Vol-

vo Penta's conditions.In comparing the genuine

spare parts with counterfeitproducts, the genuine filterwelding is characterizes by itsability to contain a lot of dustand soil, effective materials inabsorbing things, which hangon them and careful and accu-rate manufacturing.

The imitation air filters arecharacterized by:- Improvised manufacturing.- Introduction of cheap material

in manufacturing.- Inaccuracy in manufacturing.

The paper element of the fil-ter is packed through gum lines,while the imitation filter isspot-welded. The gum lines thatleak the gum and the easy air-flow are indications of the badquality. The nuts of the imita-tion cylinders are always soldas relatively cheap alternativescompared to the genuine prod-ucts. Volvo Penta's genuine oilfilters have a wide range ofspecifications that make thegenuine filters the naturalchoice, if compared with thecounterfeit products. The paperelement used in the spurious fil-ter is very coarse. As a result, ithas less ability to deposit im-purities and leaves no ring toseal the leakage.

periodic maintenance of theseengines has become crucial fortheir efficient performance.There are many farmers whofollowed the instructions givenby ACC experts. The non-stopperformance of their enginestells its own tale.

An adage goes: “one weaklink in a long chain damagesthe whole chain.” This proverbapplies to Volvo Penta enginesas well. For example, when youbuy an imitation air filter in or-der to save a little money, thiswill definitely threaten the safe-ty of the whole engine. Also,using spare parts that are notgenuine such as oil, fuel and airfilters, pistons or cylinders ofdifferent trademarks other thanthe genuine Volvo products willdefinitely reduce the engine ef-ficiency and shorten its life ex-pectancy. This is aside from thelife span of its components,which is half that of the genu-ine products bearing the VolvoPenta trademark.

Volvo Penta is keen on re-taining the good image of itsdiesel engines and other prod-ucts especially as the spread ofcounterfeit spare parts in theSaudi market bearing the samebrand name and saying “can beinstalled on Volvo engines”.Accordingly, it conducted labtests on air filters and based itstests on ISO 5011, the interna-tional standard. The result wasastonishing. It showed howrisky it was to use these spuri-ous filters because they haveonly one eighth of the qualityfound in a genuine filter. Thismeans you have to change eightforged filters for one genuinefilter.

The cost of spare parts thatrequire to be changed regular-ly represents 4% of the totalengine cost. This, dear farmer,also means that using imita-tion spare parts will save you0.5% of the engine cost: asmall percentage compared tothe risk to the engine fittedwith imitation spare parts.This may also leads to damag-ing your agricultural crop

and hence risking the lossof your investments.

These facts showthat Volvo's rival

companies that sellthese imitation fil-ters are looking forprofit only. VolvoPenta is lookingfor maintaining itsestablished goodreputation in termsof quality, safety,preserving the en-vironment, andgaining the custom-er's satisfaction.This reputed com-pany looks at the

diesel engine indus-try as the source for acquir-

ing engines that are reliable in the

Opionion

Alkhorayef Commercial Company (ACC) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, hasbeen providing Saudi farmers with Volvo Penta engines for more than 35years, during which it has sold about 50,000 such engines. ACC’s relationshipwith Volvo Penta is very strong and, today, it’s stronger than ever, especiallyconsidering the large number of staff operating in the Kingdom. Every cus-tomer who has bought an engine form ACC expects a high standard of servicefrom the sales department, regardless of the area he bought it from. This stan-dard of service is the cause for the strong relationship between ACC and VolvoPenta.

ACC managed to help reduce periodical costs and services of enginesused in the agricultural field. These 35 years have allowed us to acquirevaluable experience and vision to recognize the problems that a farmermight encounter while operating engines in the climatic conditions of theKingdom and the changing sites. We must not forget that during the agri-cultural season, engines work day and night and in some places they areoperated under temperatures that exceed 50 degrees celcius. Such condi-tions, of course, require the provision of routine and continuous periodicalservices against the specifications of the manufacturing company. If youleave your engine, whatever it might be, operating in the desert withoutthe proper service, undoubtedly it will fail. This will certainly lead to thedamage in crop and financial losses.

Farmers always struggle to reduce their expenses but ultimately they willend up increasing them with additional services of their equipment. I think, as apart of ACC’s responsibilities as an importer of Volvo Penta engines, the Com-pany must help the customer reduce his expenses through periodical mainte-nance, as per Volvo Penta’s regulations and its position in the market, whichwould not have been achieved except by good service. If the customer wants toget services properly, this will cost him about 4% only of his total cost. Istrongly believe that problems of the increased costs of maintenance and repairsof a faulty engine are the results of a misunderstanding of the required servicestandards of the customer's engine. Many farmers employ unskilled laborerswith a minimum standard or those lacking knowledge of the equipment they areexpected to provide service to. In fact, most faults were the result of personal

14 issue 15, Apr 2003

Bad Maintenance Re-sults in High Expenses

and Loss!

Opionion

judgments, including the use of inap-propriate oils and spare parts.

During the last 12 months, wewere looking at several projects tofind solutions through the servicecontract system. Alkhorayef family,which runs about 6,000 hectares, hasalso participated in developing thissystem. Service contract simplymeans that Alkhorayef will bear allthe engines' routine service require-ments to meet the recommendationsof the manufacturing company.

The contract cost include all ser-vice parts such as oil, diesel and airfilters as well as the water separationfilter (if installed), and the cost ofhigh quality oil complying with therecommendations of the manufactur-ing company. Alkhorayef is the ex-clusive Castrol oil distributor in theKingdom.

Furthermore, and as a part of thecontract, we will bear the periodical

You don’t need an accountant to tell you that the periodi-cal costs of irrigation engines (fuel, oils and spare parts) willincrease your expenditure and reduce your profits. If youare suffering form a lack of engine maintenance, this wouldusually lead to the possible increase in expenses or worst,may result in the loss of your crop.

By: David Forshaw,Director of National and Intarnational Maintenance

15issue 15, Apr 2003

* Heat conditionsrequire continu-ous and routineservices.

* Personal judg-ments are thecause of mostengine faults.

inspection costs, and here I am notemphasizing the cost of the parts thatshould be changed but electric parts,such as batteries, added oil (if neces-sary) and clutch balance, which in-cludes taking oil samples for analysisand delivering results to the farmer.This will help in the early recogni-tion of problems before they occur,especially in oldengines, in ad-dition to a fullreport aboutevery increase.The cost differsaccording to theengine's model.As a good ex-ample, the con-tract of the newgeneration ofVolvo 12 litersengines willcost SR 3,941.

The contract is valid for 2,000hours of operation, which is the timethe farmer requires to cultivate wheatin an area of 50 hectares. I would liketo add here that this cost is 1% lessthan the cost a farmer can bear for thesame area.

The real benefit is in fact the costreduction. Customers, for instance,

will not be able to buy oils, filtersand spare parts with the prices in-cluded in the contract. In addition tothis, the labor costs are also added tothe contract. The extra benefit is theincrease in engine life expectancy,cost reduction of main engine main-tenance, reduction of fault time, costreduction of keeping spare partsstock, acquiring an accurate projectcost accounts, and the customer sat-isfaction that the service is providedaccording to the manufacturer's rec-ommendations, which will protect thefarmer's investments and crops.

The farmer can only ask whenbuying a new engine, and the salesengineer will provide him with thenecessary services. In fact, we arehappy to announce that we havesigned maintenance contracts with anumber of our prominent customers,for their projects in Basita region inthe Kingdom.

64% fuel

Average anuual costs

4% maintenance

17% annual engine cost3% spare parts

3% expenses

9% labor wages

Agriculture is the civilization of nations and pro-vides national food security. Here, we have to notesome useful points in the fields of agricultural andirrigation.

The vast regions of the Kingdom differ accord-ing to the type of climate, soil, water sources andwater-containing underground strata. Some regionsare regarded as the Kingdom’s breadbasket, for in-stance Basita and Bereen. Basita region is good forall agricultural crops and fruit-bearing trees. Cerealproduction, especially wheat, is regarded economi-cally suitable when production elements are availa-ble, e.g. water, soil and climate. Fodder cultivationis successful at Bereen, whilst equatorial fruits andother cereal crops such as sorghum and millet in thesouthwestern region. Al Ahsa is regarded as an ex-cellent region for the production of dates.

The Kingdom was a witness to a tremendous devel-opment in irrigation and agricultural techniques. Oldand traditional methods of submersion, troughs andwaterwheels have been abandoned for modern irriga-tion with center pivot irrigation systems, so as to in-crease irrigation efficiency from 5% to more than 80%.In addition to production increase and the improve-ment of crop type, the best results in irrigation effi-ciency and coordination are achieved by the developedirrigation system. Different pipe diameters, which helpreduce pressure, power consumed, load on engine andoutlets and close down-going pipes, pressure regula-tors, different speeds of electric engines installed onpush cars for complete control in speed system,sprinklers that suit all crops, wind speed and soil type,are observed. A polyethylene-lined pipe system isavailable, which will help solve hot and corrosive wa-ter problem and ensure the flow of water through pipesover years. But before going for agriculture, I think itwould be good to take note of the following steps:- Well drilling: It is pertinent to note that random

well drilling has a negative effect on well produc-tion. From my own personal experience, I see thatBasita region has not experienced a reduction ordecrease in water level for the third year consecu-tively. But the bad execution of wells has ren-dered their production bad. For instance, the in-complete enveloping of wells or enveloping for a

16 issue 15, Apr 2003

Necessary Conditions forGood Agriculture

depth of 60 to 70 me-ters has partially led,after operation, tothe filling up of thewell and the lowerfeeding region withearth, which short-ened the actual length of well. This is the reasonbehind the weak production of water even if addi-tional pipes are lowered into the well. Therefore,wells should be re-excavated.

- Analysis of soil and water: In order to determinethe necessary nutrient elements, fertilizers, andcrop type to be cultivated - a problem encounteredby most farmers as a result of not contacting spe-cialized bodies e.g. companies, establishmentsand experts, for instructions.- To prepare soil by plowing, overturning and ex-posing it to the sun.

- Stone collection: This helps minimize equipmentmaintenance used in sowing, agriculture, harvestand easy service.

- Seed selection from trusted sources. They must befree of impurities, bizarre seeds of weeds and plantsand the selection of a suitable rate of sowing.

- Cultivation in the exact time.- Control and fertilization operations during cultiva-

tion periods.- Harvesting - here I would emphasize the necessity

of washing and sterilizing harvesters to limit thespread of epidemics and bizarre weed seeds fromone site to another.

- Storing crops in the model silos that allow ventila-tion and protect against rains and insects.

- Necessity of forming cooperative societies to helpsolve marketing, transporting, cooling and storingproblems.

- Diversification of agriculture according to the mar-ket needs and benefits of the agricultural land.

Here, I would like to stress the importance of main-tenance of agricultural equipment, according to themanufacturing company's instructions. Every farmercan acquire them from the importing company to guar-antee a longer life for the equipment, reduce mainte-nance costs and expenditure on spare parts.

Eng. Abdulrahman Al NimerSaudi Arabian Agricultural

Bank, Riyadh

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