PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION & PRODUCTION OF JUTE DIVERSIFIED PRODUCTS Final Evaluation Report Promoting Sustainable Consumption and Production of Jute Diversified Products A SWITCH-Asia Project funded by the European Union and managed by CARE Bangladesh Prepared for CARE Bangladesh, Dhaka Prepared by GMark Consulting Limited Dhaka, Bangladesh November, 2016 Final Evaluation Report: PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION & PRODUCTION OF JUTE DIVERSIFIED PRODUCTS This publication has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union. The sole ownership of the content of this publication belongs to CARE Bangladesh. Published on: November 01, 2016 Copyright and Ownership CARE BANGLADESH |SWITCH-Asia Jute Value Chain Project RAOWA Complex, Level: 7-8, VIP Road, Mohakhali, Dhaka-1212, Bangladesh Disclaimer: All rights reserved. Reprints and reproductions on paper or electronic data carriers is only allowed with the consent of the Publisher and/or Project. Final Evaluation Report- SWITCH ASIA I Jute Value Chain Project Implemented by- CARE BANGLADESH 3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT GMark Consulting Limited like to thank CARE Bangladesh for awarding the final evaluation assignment of “Switch Asia- Jute Value Chain project”. During the course of the evaluation, the study team designated for the study has communicated with numbers of stakeholders within the Jute Diversified product value chain. We like to thank Mr Sekhar Bhattacharjee, Team Leader of Switch Asia-Jute value chain project for his kind breifing and outlining the assignment profoundly. Mr Md. Shahid Ullah, Technical Manager- monitoring and evaluation of Switch Asia- Jute value chain project has extended his support in understanding the whole project‟s insight, the geographical coverages, beneficiaries distribution and make the study team very clear about the project objectives, outcome and activities carried on. The team has sat with him several times to have a clear understanding of Logframe, Indicators and sub-sequent linkages with activities. We are grateful to him. Mr Elias, Technical manager have also been very supportive for further clarification whenver requested. Despite of the heavy engagement to the field, jute producers, JDP (Jute Diversified Product) workers and organic fertilzier manufacturers- primary beneficiaries out of this project has provided their time and enriched us with their feedback with questions, judgement and insights. Agircultural officers from Tala, Kalaroa, Monirampur, Kurigram, Ulipur, Rangpur Sadar, Kawnia and Mithapukur have been supportive in providing sector information and their perspective of the value chains. Many of them extended supports beyond official duration, we are heavily indebted for that. We are also thankful to officials from BJRI (Bangladesh Jute Research Institute), Jute Diversified Product Promotion Centre (JDPC), SME consortium for timely contribution to the research. The team is also thankful to research assistants from different universities who work continuously and wholeheartedly to make the research successful, Mr Rafiul Amin have worked very hard to make the coordination of logistics and adiministrative activities. With all the support from multiple arenas it has been possible to produce this final evaluation report. Thank you all. Md. Saifuddin Khaled, Team Lead & Lead Author Abu Darda, Value Chain Expert and Co-Author Final Evaluation Report- SWITCH ASIA I Jute Value Chain Project Implemented by- CARE BANGLADESH 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 9 LIST OF ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATION 15 GLOSSARY 16 PROJECT WORKING AREA MAP 17 KEY RESULTS (AT A GLANCE) AGAINST LOGFRAME INDICATORS 18 EVALUATION BACKGROUND AND METHOD 24 SWITCH-ASIA 24 BENEFICIARY DISTRIBUTION 24 METHODOLOGY 25 LITERATURE REVIEW 25 DEEP- SEATED GATHERING WITH CARE BANGLADESH JVC TEAM 25 SAMPLING 25 INDIVIDUAL INTERVIEW 26 FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONS (FGDs) 26 CASE STUDIES 27 KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEW(KII) 27 CONSULTATION MEETING 27 DATA COMPILATION AND ANALYSIS 27 REVIEW OF PERFORMANCE 28 JUTE PRODUCERS DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE 34 Land Ownership 34 HouseholdMonthly Income 34 Household Monthly Expenditure 34 Jute Cultivation Acreage 35 Yield of Jute 35 Price 36 Income from Jute Production 36 Seed Usage 37 Harvesting 37 Retting 37 Grading 38 Storage Facilities 38 Market Linkage and Sales 38 Use in Organic Fertilizer in Jute Field 39 Usage of cow dung and improved organic fertilizer 39 Training Received 40 Technology Used in Jute Production 40 Group Savings Scheme 40 Access to finance 41 Final Evaluation Report- SWITCH ASIA I Jute Value Chain Project Implemented by- CARE BANGLADESH 5 JUTE DIVERSIFIED PRODUCTS 44 A Brief overview of JDP 44 EXPORT OF JUTE AND JUTE DIVERSIFIED PRODUCT 45 JDP STAKEHOLDERS 45 PROJECT INTERVENTIONS WITH THE JDP WORKER 47 JDP ACTIVITY FRAMEWORK 49 SKILL DEVELOPMENT TRAINING PROGRAM FOR JDP WORKERS 49 Selection of Trainers 50 EFFECTIVENESS OF THE TRAINING 50 SMEs perspective about JDP workers 52 Less is more 53 CHANGES IN INCOME 54 ORDERS SERVED 54 OTHER DIRECT IMPACT 55 EFFICIENCY OF THE TRAINING PROGRAM 56 Mobilization 56 Market Assessment and selection of training contents 56 Equipment and Tools 56 Facilities and Infrastructure 56 TIMELINESS 56 FACILITATING MARKET DEVELOPMENT OF JDP 58 IMPACT ON ORGANIC FERTILIZER MANUFACTURER 60 Input for Organic Fertilizer Production 62 MARKET FACILITATORS; TRAINERS, DESIGNERS 67 ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT AND BUSINESS MANAGEMENT (EDBM) 67 MASTER TRAINERS DEVELOPMENT 67 NEW PRODUCT DESIGN 67 SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMPLIANCE STANDARDS 67 PROFILING, BROCHURE, DIGITAL PRESENCE 68 SME Consortium 68 Final Evaluation Report- SWITCH ASIA I Jute Value Chain Project Implemented by- CARE BANGLADESH 6 OPPORTUNITIES TAKEN AND MISSED 69 WOMEN ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT 70 CASES 72 Case 01: Mr. Kalam Mahmud, Local Seed Producer 72 Implementing Partner: UTTARAN 72 Case 02:Atharokhada - An organic fertilizer village 72 CASE 03:Onek Asha Kutir Shilpa, ASIRON- Leading the way 73 CASE 04: KHESA JDP Group 73 CASE 05: Breaking the boundary 74 PROJECT MANAGEMENT ARRANGEMENT 75 ADVANTAGES 75 BOTTLENECKS 75 Changes in Top Level Management of the Project Team 75 Lack of Business Development Facilitator 75 LESSON LEARNT 76 Re-Adjustment Opportunities 76 Refresher Training 76 Demonstration Impact 76 ANNEXURE 78 Annexure 01: Terms of Reference- Final Evaluation JVC Project 79 Annexure 02: Log Frame of SA JVC Project 84 Annexure 03: Survey tools (Questionnaire, checklist) 91 Annexure 04: List of secondary documents used or reviewed 102 Annexure 05: List of persons with designation, organization interviewed 103 Annexure 06: List of SMEs Interviewed 104 Annexure 07: List of 20 SMEs 105 LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Beneficiary Distribution ........................................................................................................... 24 Table 2: Sample Distribution ................................................................................................................. 26 Table 3: Poverty Incidents in Bangladesh; MDG ................................................................................... 28 Table 4: Land Ownership ...................................................................................................................... 34 Table 5: Household Monthly Income .................................................................................................... 34 Table 6: Household Monthly Expenditure ............................................................................................ 35 Table 7: Jute Cultivation Acreage .......................................................................................................... 35 Final Evaluation Report- SWITCH ASIA I Jute Value Chain Project Implemented by- CARE BANGLADESH 7 Table 8: Yield Information ..................................................................................................................... 35 Table 9: Price of Jute ............................................................................................................................. 36 Table 10: Income from Jute Production ............................................................................................... 36 Table 11: Problems with harvesting of Jute .......................................................................................... 37 Table 12: Jute Retting ........................................................................................................................... 38 Table 13: Grading of Jute Fiber ............................................................................................................. 38 Table 14:Jute Goods Export in 2013-14(Quantity in M. Ton & Value in Lac Taka) ............................... 44 Table 15: Export performance of JDP ................................................................................................... 45 Table 16: Training was helpful for the participants .............................................................................. 49 Table 17: TOP Product Ranking from JDP Workers Perspective ........................................................... 50 Table 18: Skill level of JDP workers ....................................................................................................... 51 Table 19: Income source of JDP workers .............................................................................................. 54 Table 20: Income of JDP worker ..........................................................................................................