The document discusses the role of engineers in the agricultural and food security sector in Mauritius. It outlines that engineers work to meet societal needs through applying scientific knowledge via industry. The engineering division of the Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security provides technical support across divisions and undertakes projects related to infrastructure, machinery maintenance, refrigeration, irrigation design and renewable energy. Some challenges faced include ensuring occupational health and safety, sustainable maintenance, and effective training for employees.

1. THE ROLE OF ENGINEERS IN
Agricultural and Food
Security Sector
MR B.TANDARAYEN
SENIOR ENGINEER
MINISTRY OF AGRO-INDUSTRY & FOOD SECURITY
PRESENTATION IN THE CONTEXT OF INDUSTRY
SEMINAR – UNIVERSITY OF MAURITIUS 2015

2. Introduction
 We argue that the practice of
engineering does not exist outside the
domain of societal interests.
 That is, the practice of Engineering has an
inherent (and unavoidable) impact on
society.
 Engineering is based upon that
relationship with society (inter alia)
 Further the Engineer is part of the Industry
to service the Society.
2

3. Engineering Profession
 Our contention is that the
central focus of the
Engineering Profession is the
application of the scientific
knowledge through the
industry to meet societal
needs.
3

4. Student in Engineering
 “a significant measure of an
engineering career that is
characterised by continued
professional growth”
4

5. Professional Responsibility
and Professional Ethics
The need to lay emphasis on the following topics is
the responsibility of the Professional Engineer:
 Safety and Welfare of the Public and the client
 Professional Ethics
 Legal Liabilities of Engineers
 Environmental Responsibilities
 Quality
 Communications
5

6. Cont…
 Each of these topics relates to the
interaction on an Engineer to
Others: Clients, Society, Industry,
Employers, employees and to the
Engineering Profession.
 Engineers should study Engineering
Ethics from the perspective of a
moral agent as opposed to a moral
judge
6

7. Category in mid 1800
 Five Clusters:
1. Mechanical & Production
2. Civil & Structural
3. Electrical & Electronics
4. Chemical & Materials
5. Transport & Marine
7

8. Role of the Engineer In Industry
Typical Focus Areas:
 Project Management
 Manufacturing, Production and Distribution
 Productivity, Methods and Process Engineering
 Quality Measurement and Improvement
 Program Management
 Ergonomics/Human Factors
 Technology Development and Transfer
 Strategic Planning
 Management of Change
 Financial Engineering
8

9. Types of Industries
 Aerospace & Airplane
 Aluminum & Steel
 Agriculture & Agro-
processing
 Construction
 Consulting
 Electronics Assembly
 Energy
 Entertainment
 Forestry & Logging
 Insurance
 Materials Testing
 Medical Services
 Military
 Mining Oil & Gas
 Plastics & Forming Retail
 Shipbuilding
 Transportation
 State /Government
 Laboratory
9

10. Techniques use by Engineers in
Industry
 Benchmarking
 Design of Experiments
 Employee Involvement
 Equipment Utilization
 Flow Diagramming
 Information & Data Flow
 Diagramming
 Interviewing for
Information
 Lean Manufacturing
 Organizational Analysis
 Modeling & Testing
 Operations Auditing
 Pilot Programs
 Plant & Equipment
 Layout
 Project Management
 Simulation
 Six Sigma projects
 Statistical Analysis
 Strategic Planning
 Theory of Constraints
 Time Studies
 Work Sampling
10

11. Role of Engineers in
Agriculture & Food Security
11

12. Ministry of Agro-Industry &
Food Security
 Policies and strategies regarding the non-sugar
sector will have to consider the challenges, namely:
a) Production of a larger volume of quality food-
crops to satisfy the needs of a much higher inflow of
tourists and meet the demand generated by a higher
per capita consumption of fruits and vegetables of a
population increasingly aspiring to healthier life style
b) Production of a wider variety of food-crops to
cater for the growing demand for safer and higher
quality food; and
c) Reducing cost of production through increased
productivity per unit area of land and per unit cost of
investment.
12

13. Non Sugar Sectors
 Adding value is vital for the survival of the first
process in the food chain: Agriculture.
 Along the corporate lines, to be profitable it is
essential that through growing, processing,
distribution, and market chain, skills are applied by
farmers, growers and fishers.
 At all points along the chain, ways are being
found to facilitate the addition of value profitably:
through strategies regarding
 Safety, Supply, Quality, and Innovation.
13

14. Sugar Sector
 The future prospects for the Sugar Industry are not
too bright with decreasing revenue, fierce
increasing competition and limited scope for
development.
 The way forward is in revisiting and reengineering
of the existing service providing institutions in the
Sugar Industry to respond to the new needs of
stakeholders of the Sugar Sector.
14

15. Engineering Division of the Ministry
of Agro Industry & Food Security
 The Engineering Division offers a key and
essential service to enable the Ministry
machinery to function smoothly.
 The Engineering has its office together with its
Workshop at Richelieu where all its activities
are centered.
 The Engineering Division is part of the
Agricultural Services under the Ministry of
Agro-Industry & Food Security, and provides
Technical and Engineering support to all the
Divisions and Departments.
15

16. Structure
 The Engineering Division is headed by the
Principal Agricultural Engineer
 assisted by the Senior Agricultural
Engineer and
 a team of Agricultural Engineers
(Agricultural/ Civil/ Mechanical),
 Agricultural Superintendent,
 Senior Technical Officer, Technical
Officer, Draughtsman,
 Senior Technical Assistant and Technical
Assistant
16

17. Principal Engineer
Senior Engineer
EngineerEngineer Engineer
Pre- Registration
Trainee Engineer
SeniorTechnical Officer
Farm Structure &
Irrigation
SeniorTechnical Officer
Plants & Equipment
Pre- Registration
Trainee Engineer
SeniorTechnical Officer
ENGINEERING
WORSHOP

18. And comprises of the
following units:
1. Civil Works & Farm Building and Design
2. Central Workshop, Farm Machinery &
Heavy Vehicles
3. Irrigation and Drainage
4. Mechanical Unit - Arsenal
18

19. Engineering Division
 Agricultural Development Division
 Animal Production Division
 Agricultural Chemistry Division
 Division of Veterinary Services
 Agricultural Information Division
 Horticulture Division
 Entomology Division
 National Parks and Conservation Service
 Forestry Services
 Agronomy Division
 Land Use Division
 Support Services Unit
 National Plant Protection Office
 Food Technology Laboratory
 State House & SSRBG
19

20. 1. Farm Structure & Drainage
The Civil Works & Farm Building Unit of the Engineering
Division is responsible for:
1) The structural design and implementation of Ministry’s
Building, Farm structures and Civil Engineering projects;
2) The maintenance of Ministry’s buildings and farm
structures;
3) Ensuring the structural soundness of buildings and
Civil Engineering structures for the safety of the public
and staff;
4) The assessment of structures and the preparation of
technical assessment reports;
5) The repairs and rehabilitation of Ministry’s buildings
and farm structures through the use of proper
techniques and materials;
20

21. Cont…..
Automated
Shade House
Concrete
Farm House
Incinerator
Housing
21

22. 2. Engineering workshop
 Under the Mechanical Engineering Workshop, a labour
force of around 90 workers from various grades
 Such as Workshop Supervisor, Foremen, Motor Mechanics,
Carpenters, Masons, Painters, Coach Painters, Plumbers &
Pipe Fitter, Fitter, Turner Machinist, Plant & Equipment
Operator, Automobile Electrician, Welder, Blacksmith,
Drivers, Drivers Heavy Vehicle, Lorry Loaders, Vulganisers,
 Clerical Officers, Storemen, Office Attendants, General
Workers
 are called upon to execute maintenance works on Farm
buildings, Plant & Equipment, Vehicles, Agricultural
Implements and other duties of the Engineering Division
 A Fleet of 125 vehicles
 Plants and Equipment: 250 items
22

23. Maintenance & Repairs
Engine
overhaul
Lubrication
renewal Tyre defects
23

24. Interventions … 24
servicing, 19.45
tyre renew., 12.86
tyre mting. O/dept.. ,
1.07
tyre repair, 10.64
clutch rep. , 1.76
battery renew., 2.37
engine rep., 0.69
wheel balance, 1.68
body rep. Minor , 7.20
wheel align., 1.91
suspension, 2.07
steering, 1.30
hyd. Rep., 1.68
elect. Rep., 18.22
cooling syst., 1.07
fuel syst., 2.22
silencer rep., 3.06
starter rep., 1.07
alternator rep., 0.69
% of intervention per job category

25. Expenses…. 25
0.00
50000.00
100000.00
150000.00
200000.00
250000.00
JAN. FEB. MCH. APR. MAY JUN. JUL. AUG. SEP. OCT. NOV. DEC.
S. PARTS
LUBRICANTS
LABOUR
OUT SERVICES

26. 3. Plants & Equipment -
Outstation
 The Ministry of Agro Industry & Food
Security is the only Ministry that has
the responsibility to
 Maintain seven (7) incinerators
throughout the Island and it has a
 cold seed store comprising of five
(5) rooms each of a capacity of 20
Tons of seeds.
26

27. Cont….
 The main Plant & Equipment under the
responsibility of the Engineering Division are:
 Tissue Culture Unit – Lighting & Air Conditioning
 Seed Production Unit - Equipment
 Food Technology Laboratory (FTL) - Equipment
 Generators and air Compressors,
 NPPO - Heat Treatment Plant, Sulfuryl Fluoride
(SF) & Fumigation Plant
 APD -Incubators Refrigerated Egg Cooler
 All Air-conditioning Unit of the different
divisions
27

28. Refrigeration Plant for
Seed Store
Compressor
unit Cold Rooms
Condenser
Unit
28

29. Refrigeration Plant for Egg
Holding Unit: + Room
29

30. Incinerator Plant
Unit plant
Combustion
Burner
Exhaust
system
30

31. Post Harvest Equipment
Thresher for
seeds
Balling
machine Batch Dryer
31

32. Design calculation,
technical specifications
 Refrigeration plant: +ve and – ve temperature
room
 Air Conditioning System
 Burner sizing for incinerator
 Pump sizing
 Sizing of hot water heater plant
32

33. Important factors in Design
Calculation – Refrigeration & Air
Conditioning Plant
 Size
 Outside Design Conditions
 Inside design conditions: Temperature- Positive or
negative and R.Humidity
 Type and quantity of Product to be stored and
use
 Normally 24hrs
33

34. Irrigation system design 34

35. Methodology
 Water Requirement of the species, soil type, number of emitters needed
and spacing between them.
 Consider the flow rate/ emitter.
 Then we calculate for the whole plot.
 Layout of the system- with the different parts.
 Estimate the length of pipes required.
 Selection and Sizing of pipe.
 Work out by calculations the head loss along each pipeline.
 Pump selection.
35

36. Design consideration of
burner for incinerator
 The correct size of an incinerator is the most
important consideration
 General Refuse Equivalent (GRE)
 For example 1 kg of general hospital waste will burn
slower than paper of general refuse.
 Hence, it said it requires the same incineration
capacity as 1.25 kg of general refuse.
 This is called the General Refuse Equivalent of
general hospital waste
36

37. 37

38. Sizing the incinerator
 For example it there are 100 kg of general hospital
waste is to be incinerated then the size of the
incinerator = 100 kg × GRE of 1.25 = 125 kg
 If operated for 4 hours, capacity = 125/4 = 31
kg/hr
38

39. Project involvement
 Solar Photovoltaic Power Generating System (Grid
tie and Stand-alone)
 Evaporative cooling system – conservation of
vegetables
 Rain water Harvesting
 from building for nursery
 Inverted roof in fields
39

40. Final Year Projects
Corrosion
Energy
Recovery
Biogas
Production
40

41. Research work/Projects
Rain water
Harvesting
Renewable
Energy
Evaporative
cooling system
41

42. Challenges
 Environment issues
 Procurement procedures
 Sustainable maintenance
 Training and development of
employees
 Occupational Health & Safety
42

43. CONCLUSION
 Broad array of perspectives for
the Engineers in the
Agricultural and Food Security
Sector
 Great opportunities for
Engineering research and
implementation projects
43

44. 44
THANK YOU