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Volume 01     Issue 64    September 2017

ACI Motors is planning with Government subsidy 

project under Department of Agricultural Extension 

(DAE) to promote this technology. Government 

subsidy will support farmers to purchase Trans-

planter and ACI will provide support like: training on 

seedling rising, maintenance and operation. Thus, 

we are planning to popularize mechanical rice 

transplanter to the farmer’s level.

According to Prof. Dr. Md. Monjurul Alam, Bangla-

desh Agricultural University, by using Rice Trans-

planter farmers can save transplantation cost up to 

9,600 Tk/ha.

Dr. F H Ansarey

Managing Director & CEO

ACI Agribusiness

Bangladesh is the 4th largest rice producing country 

in the world. Around 80% of total cultivated land 

utilized for rice is covered with transplanted rice. 

However, manual transplantation of rice is expen-

sive because of labor shortage during harvesting 

season. Mechanical transplantation of rice has been 

considered the most promising option as it saves 

labor, ensures timely transplanting and attains 

optimum plant density that contributes to high 

productivity.

There are some challenges like: seedling rising, 

operation and maintenance, on time availabilities of 

seedling for popularization of mechanical Rice 

Transplanter. To overcome these challenges ACI 

Motors is planning with Government subsidy project 



Joint activities by ACI and Govt. Organization

Popularization of Mechanical Rice Transplantation


Contents

ACI Seed Field Day at Rajshahi

Climate Change Is Transforming the World's Food Supply

EDITORIAL BOARD



Advisory Editor

Prof. Lutfur Rahman

Advisor, ACI Agribusiness

Editor

Shamim Murad

Head of Partnership &

Business Development

ACI Agribusiness

Members

Mohammad Muhebbullah Ibne Hoque

Product Development Service Manager

ACI Seed


 

Yusuf Alam

Asst. Marketing Manager

ACI Fertilizer

Tanmoy Majumder

Assistant Product Manager

ACI Motors

Abrar Shahriyar Mridha

Asst. Manager

ACI Agrolink

Adeeba Raihan

Senior Scientist

Advanced Seed Research

& Biotech Centre

Mahmudul Haque Jishan

Planning Executive

Premiaflex Plastics Ltd.

3  


Biotech Corner

4 - 6 


Events and Activities 

7 - 10  Agri-tech and Communication

11 - 12  Readers’ Corner

 

3



4

Climate change is poised to affect the world's 

food supply in three key ways, experts say. 

"There will be impacts on the quantity, quality 

and location of the food we produce," said Dr. 

Sam Myers, a medical doctor and senior 

research scientist studying environmental 

health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of 

Public Health.

ACI Seed organized a vegetable field day on Papiya 

Super at Joynagar, Rajshahi on 9 August 2017.

Acceptability of CRISPR\Cas9

Technology:

CRISPR/Cas9 has been dramatically changing 

the field of genome engineering.

9



Biotech Corner

Acceptability of CRISPR\Cas9 Technology:

because the modifications will go off with the death 

of that person. In case of crop improvement 

programs this technology can be used to develop 

disease resistant varieties because this technology 

targets a particular gene sequence and cuts the 

targeted DNA into segments within the cytoplasm of 

the host cell before it takes part in protein synthesis.  

Whereas, the concern is about horizontal gene 

transfer, there is less information about post conse-

quences, so, initially this technology can be used for 

the improvement of vegetitavely propagated crops 

where flowering doesn’t take place, e.g. potato. 

Therefore, this technology can be very effective for 

the betterment of animal health, crops, as well as 

human health. Building a strong public opinion and 

awareness would be crucial for using this technique 

in variable life forms. (Assistance of Mahmood 



Hasan, ASRBC is acknowledged)

Prof. Lutfur Rahman, 

Advisor, Agribusinesses & Editor, Biolife

3

CRISPR/Cas9 has been dramatically changing the 



field of genome engineering. The clustered regularly 

interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) 

locus is found in the genomes of some bacteria and 

archaea which has been modified for genome engi-

neering. It contains tandem repeats and spacers, in 

which the repeats comprise the same sequence and 

the spacers comprise different sequences derived 

from exotic DNA. The CRISPR locus functions with 

CRISPR-associated (Cas) proteins as an adaptive 

immune system against invading foreign DNA 

through inducing a DNA double-strand break (DSB) 

at the specific locus in association with Cas 

protein(s). DNA repair pathways, such as NHEJ 

(non-homologous end joining) or HDR (homology 

directed repair). Without donor template, NHEJ 

induces small indels, which can be used for gene 

knockout or frame-shifting. HDR is used to knocking 

or substitute the target sequence by using a donor 

template or ssODN (single stranded oligodeoxynu-

cleotide). This mechanism is being used worldwide 

for editing genome of different organisms including 

human for molecular recording, genetic engineer-

ing, treating genetic disorders, reversibility of antibi-

otic resistance. Biosafety issues always arise with 

these types of gene modifications in organisms. The 

CRISPR\Cas9 system differs from other genetic 

modification methods that it uses cells own repair 

mechanism that leads to a knockout or knock-in of a 

targeted sequence. But the gene of insertion vehi-

cles (e.g. lentivirus, T-DNA of Ti Plasmid) integrates 

into genome. Another big concern arises with 

CRISPR\Cas9 system, gene drive. The objective of 

gene drive is to rapidly spread a genetic modifica-

tion within a population, e.g. spread a mutated mos-

quito that will not spread malaria, dengue etc. Gene 

drive research and its implementation can have 

major evolutionary and/or ecological impacts. Since 

risk depends on the alteration of species rather than 

on the drive itself, proposed gene drive experiments 

must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. And 

where this technology is being used for gene 

therapy, e.g. modifying human somatic cells for 

therapeutic purposes has low biosafety issues  



4

Events and Activities 

ACI Seed organized a vegetable field day on 

Papiya Super at Joynagar, Rajshahi on 9 August 

2017. The main aim was to introduce high yield-

ing bitter gourd variety to the smallholder rural 

farmers of Joynagar village, and to build trust 

between the seed dealers and the farmers. 

Another aim was to improve their livelihood 

status. The village Joynagar under Poba Upazilla, 

Rajshahi is well known as a vegetable growing 

area. Different hybrid and HYV varieties of vari-

ous crops are being cultivated there. Md. Bablu is 

a progressive farmer of Joynagar who accepts 

modern technology for sustainable development. 

This year Md. Bablu cultivated hybrid Papiya 

Super bitter gourd in his 5 decimal of land and 

earned net profit Tk. 15,000. He said, this year he 

also cultivated other varieties but he did not get 

much profit from them and the field conditions 

were not at acceptance level. But the Papiya 

Super showed more vigorous and higher yield 

potential over other market leading varieties and  



ACI Seed Field Day at Rajshahi

he determined to cultivate Papiya Super in more 

land in the next season. Other farmers also got 

motivated to cultivate Papiya Super in their land. 

More than 20 farmers participated in the field day. 

Retailers, Sales Officer, SPO, and PDS Officer 

were also participated in the programme.

Nitrogen Efficiency for Bioavailability (NEB) is 

now applied to maximize its uptake and decrease 

environmental impact through reduced usage of 

urea fertilizer. It is a blend of natural ROOT EXU-

DATES, which helps to increase microbial activi-

ties in the soil. By the use of NEB, plants get more 

of the N for longer period of time, which helps to 

give significant growth advantages of plants.

ACI Fertilizer organized a workshop on NEB on 

Sunday, 27 May 2017 for the personnel of Depart-

ment of Agricultural Extension (DAE) at Khamar 

Bari, Comilla. KBD Bashir Ahmed, Business 

Director of ACI Fertilizer was present there as the 

chief guest, Mr. Abdus Sabur Khan, ZSM of 

Comilla Zone, ACI Fertilizer was present as spe-

cial guest while Dr. Md. Sahinul Islam, Additional 

Director of DAE presided over the program.

The key discussion was on the features, benefits, 

NEB Workshop held at Khamar Bari in Comilla

application, and impacts on economy of using 

NEB at different crops especially on potato. A 

decision was made to conduct result demonstra-

tion under DAE in upcoming potato season and 

recommend the farmers to produce quality yield 

at optimum cultivation cost. 



5

Events and Activities 

for Organic Fertilizer to the Stockiest. Mr. Rezaul 

Islam, Zonal Sales Manager with his team organ-

ized the program successfully and got a tremen-

dous feedback from the customers with more 

than 1000 MT Organic Fertilizer from the custom-

ers. In the event, the customers actively partici-

pated and gave different suggestions to increase 

the market coverage with proper positioning and 

branding. 

On the 22 August 2017, ACI Fertilizer organized a 

sales booking program for Organic Fertilizer at 

BRAC Learning Centre in Rangpur. Kbd Bashir 

Ahmed, Business Director of ACI Fertilizer 

attended the event as the Chief Guest while Kbd 

Md. Mustafizur Rahman, Sales Manager partici-

pated as a Special Guest. Mr. Asadur Rahman, 

Assistant Product Manager offered an attractive 

booking program 

Bioferti is 100% natural product, which is 

produced from the world’s best marine plant 

“AscophyllomNodosum”. It is produced in Atlan-

tic Ocean. Bioferti’s composition of beneficial 

bioactive compounds supports the plant to 

upgrade the nutrient and grow properly.

ACI Fertilizer arranged a training program for 

Area Manager and Regional Manager on 

bioferti to understand the features and benefi-

ciaries positioning and communication on 5 

August 2017 at hall room of ACI Centre.

Mr. Soumendhu Gosh, Business Development 

Manager of Acadian Seaplants Limited, 

Canada, the principal of bioferti took the training 

session. The participants showed their field 

experience regarding bioferti and gathered 

valuable knowledge.

Mr. Soumendhu also visited the field to under-

stand the market. He went to Tangail and  



Training on Bioferti by Acadian Seaplants Ltd, Canada

Organic Fertilizer Sales Booking Program at Rangpur

discussed with stockiest, retailers and farmers 

as well as received tremendous feedback. He 

was delighted to see activities of field force in 

the market.



6

Events and Activities 

services were offered. While the service 

personnel handled Major Complains, custom-

ers also received useful tips for bike mainte-

nance. Customers also enjoyed 10% Discount 

on Spare Parts, Engine Oil and Helmets 

throughout the event. Different customer 

engagement events, rallies, and raffle draws 

took place during the service camp.

YAMAHA Mega Service Camp

ACI Motors, the sole distributor of YAMAHA 

Motorcycles in Bangladesh arranged a 5-day 

long Mega Service Camp in August 2017. The 

service camp was held from 21 August to 25 

August at International Convention City Bas-

hundhara – ICCB, Dhaka. At this mega service 

camp, customers got Free Service Check Up 

for their YAMAHA Motorcycles. Moreover, Free 

YDT Check Up and Free Fuel Injector Cleaning 




7

Agri-tech & Communication

areas, where food production is normally high.

(Source: Agriculture - 2017 News and Scientific Articles on Live 

Science. www.livescience.com/topics/agriculture)

all across North America - creating the potential 

for the evolution of drug resistance in the wider 

environment.

Climate Change Is Transforming the World's

Food Supply

Climate change is poised to affect the world's 

food supply in three key ways, experts say. 

"There will be impacts on the quantity, quality 

and location of the food we produce," said Dr. 

Sam Myers, a medical doctor and senior 

research scientist studying environmental 

health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of 

Public Health. According to him  Researchers 

studying climate change are looking at how the 

biological and physical changes happening on 

Earth due to climate change will transform food 

production. For example, studies have shown 

that the combination of increased levels of 

carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, rising tem-

peratures and changes to precipitation may 

result in significantly lower yields for staple crops 

such as corn and wheat, particularly in tropical 



Big Agriculture creating new generation of

antibiotic-resistant superbugs

A group of Canadian and French scientists 

have uncovered more evidence that prolific use 

of antibiotics in animal agriculture is contribut-

ing to the development of drug-resistant "super-

bugs," in a study published in Journal of Envi-

ronmental Quality and funded by Agriculture 

and Agri-Food Canada.

Feeding antibiotics to healthy animals is a 

common practice in industrial agriculture, 

because it is believed to reduce rates of illness 

and to result in larger animals and therefore, 

higher profits. But there is risk for evolution of 

antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These bacteria 

might evolve directly in the animals' bodies, 

becoming superbugs if they somehow spread 

to humans (as in E. coli contamination from 

cattle feces). In addition, large quantities of 

unmetabolized antibiotics are secreted in farm 

animals' manure, which is then used as fertilizer   




8

Agri-tech & Communication

them less harmful. Now, researchers have 

found a species of bacteria that eats antibiotics 

for food. "I think it's kind of a game changer in 

terms of how we think about our environment 

and antibiotic resistance," Topp said.

(Source: Agriculture news, articles and information - Natural 

News. http://www.naturalnews.com/agriculture)

varieties, and that their research means that 

plant breeders can now select new mutations 

that separate the desirable and undesirable 

traits conferred by DELLA proteins.

(Source: Crop Biotech Update, International Service for Acqui-

sition of Agri-Biotech Applications. www.isaaa.org)



Green Revolution Genes Promise More Yield

In the new study, researchers found a new, 

previously unknown type of drug resistance that 

combined two already well known bacterial 

abilities. It is well established that bacteria read-

ily evolve two major forms of drug-resistance: 

either they develop ways to purge drugs from 

their cells, or they metabolize the drugs to make 

3D reconstructions of the inflorescence apex of Arabidopsis, comparing 

the wild type (right) with a DELLA mutant (left) – each apex is approxi-

mately a fifth of a millimeter across. To precisely measure how DELLA 

mutation affected the meristem, individual

A team of researchers at the John Innes Centre 

(JIC) led by Professor Robert Sablowski stud-

ied DELLA proteins which cause a range of 

growth responses in plants. Mutations in 

DELLA genes were selected by plant breeders 

during the green revolution to increase yield 

through reduced stem length.

The research details how selecting the mutation 

for shorter stems also resulted in a smaller inflo-

rescence meristem, the growth zone where 

flowers form. Smaller growth zone results in 

fewer flowers and seeds, which is a key factor 

in crop yield potential. But the team showed 

how the effects could be separated.

Professor Sablowski said that separating the 

stem growth and meristem size effect could 

unlock further yield increases in widely-used 



9

Agri-tech & Communication

activates the pathway in various ways -- especially 

through the interaction of a planthopper protein 

called G protein pathway suppressor 2 (GPS2), and 

a viral protein called capsid protein. "The interaction 

between these two proteins promotes RSV repro-

duction inside the planthopper, ultimately leading to 

disease outbreak when the insect carries the virus 

among rice crops," says first author and postdoc-

toral researcher Wei Wang.

(Source: Agriculture and Food News, Science Daily. 

www.sciencedaily.com)

of foundation seed, was long awaited.“We’ve been 

working on this for four years, and we feel it has great 

promise in drought resistance. The science itself has 

been 10 years in development,” Northey says.

(Source: Successful Farming, www.agriculture.com)

A small brown planthopper -- a member of a species known for being a 

major carrier of rice stripe virus -- feeding on a rice plant.

Photo Credit: : Junjie Zhu

Drought-Tolerant Wheat on The Way

Look for a grinning, midsize lab-coat guy this winter, 

wearing dark glasses possibly, at the CFIA Variety 

Registration Office in Ottawa or Toronto. Julian 

Northey plans to be there, toting his paperwork, to 

register a new durum wheat for trials in western 

Canada. If it happens and if it holds up to scrutiny, the 

new durum wheat will be a breakthrough in drought-

tolerant technology. Northey earned a doctorate in 

plant molecular genetics in 2009 from the University 

of Toronto. A year later, he launched Frontier Agri-

Science (FAS), an agricultural biotechnology com-

pany specializing in non-GMO genetic technology.

FAS now has a team of seven scientists with serious 

credentials and a website listing partnerships with 

four Canadian universities as well as BASF, 

Biogemma, and ICRISAT, the international crops 

research institute for the semiarid tropics 

(frontieragri.science).  The new durum is a product of 

the platform that specializes in water-use efficiency 

and stress tolerance. Other platforms are directed 

toward herbicide tolerance and biofuel production. 

The September 28 FAS durum harvest, with six lines 

Planthoppers May Help Stop Crop Disease Spread

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of 

Sciences' Institute of Zoology have discovered how 

a severe rice virus reproduces inside the small 

brown planthopper, a major carrier of the virus. Rice 

stripe virus (RSV) causes major damage to rice 

crops each year. "Most plant viruses depend on 

insects to carry them between plants, and many can 

reproduce inside the cells of these carrier insects, or 

'vectors', without actually harming them," says Feng 

Cui, Professor of Zoology. "RSV, one of the most 

notorious plant viruses, is carried by the small 

brown planthopper and, once inside the cells, man-

ages to achieve a balance with the insect's immune 

system .Viral infections in animal hosts activate a 

pathway by which a type of enzyme, called c-Jun 

N-terminal kinase (JNK), is signalled to respond. 

But how exactly viruses regulate this pathway in 

vectors remains an open question.

To address this question, Cui and her team explored 

the effect of RSV on the JNK signalling pathway in 

the small brown planthopper. Studying interactions 

between proteins, and using an analytical method to 

determine the compounds that are important for the 

JNK signalling pathway, they found that the virus 



10

Agri-tech & Communication

How Humans Domesticated Wild Wheat

A sophisticated sequencing study reveals genetic 

changes that emerged in wheat as it became 

domesticated by agricultural societies in the Fertile 

Crescent, roughly 10,000 years ago.The findings 

provide scientists with a better understanding of 

traits in modern wheat -- the variety used to make 

bread and pasta -- and could inform efforts to 

improve the yield and quality of this key food 

source.


The domestication of wild wheat caused a shift in 

traits, which mostly relate to seed dormancy, spike 

morphology, and grain development. For example, 

while the spikes of wild wheat shatter at maturity, all 

domesticated wheat spikes remain intact, which 

enables easier harvest. Here, RazAvni and 

colleagues used 3-D genetic sequencing data and 

software to reconstruct the 14 chromosomes of wild 

tetraploid wheat, Triticumturgidum.

The team then compared genes responsible for 

shattering in domesticated wheat to the corre-

sponding genes in wild wheat, in order to under-

stand genetic changes underlying the evolutionary 

transition to a non-shattering state. They identified 

two clusters of genes in domesticated wheat that 

have lost their function. When they engineered 

strains of wheat with one of these gene clusters 

restored, the wheat exhibited unique spikes where 

the upper part was brittle and the lower part was not 

brittle. These results suggest that the two gene 

clusters play a part in transforming the brittle quali-

ties of wild wheat.

(Source: Agriculture and Food News, Science Daily. 

www.sciencedaily.com)




11

Readers’ Corner

Believe it or not!

Nutrition Chart

Agro Tips

A banana is considered a natural mood booster. Depressed people are said to be low on Serotonin and 

bananas are a cheap source of Serotonin, amino acid, and Vitamin B6.

Banana is also used as a skin rejuvenator and lets your skin remain youthful for a long time.

The richness of nutrients and vitamins in banana make it a natural healer in various kinds of body ailments. It 

is one good digestive fruit.

If a Pregnant lady munches on banana regularly, she can avert any kind of deficiency as well as side effects of 

medicines. They are rich in Folic Acid, Calcium, iron, Vitamin C, and antioxidants.

Bananas are very rich in a mineral called potassium. It is an electrolyte that our body requires to keep electrical 

impulses flowing through the body. Without electrical impulses, our heart will not operate. So, eat bananas for 

a happy and healthy heart.

Banana plants are not trees, they are a type of herb.

Bananas contain around 75% water.

Fibre taken from banana plants can be used to 

make clothes.

The banana tree, or herb, bears only one bunch 

of bananas before dying. Luckily, it shoots a new 

"eye" (a baby plant) before dying, the entire 

process only taking about ten months.

The word “Banana” has been derived from an 

Arabic word “Banan” that means finger in 

Arabic. And, of course, they have given it a 

thoughtful name as the fruit resembles a 

finger.


89

12 g


0.3 g

1.1 g


358mg

1 mg


2.6g

Banana (100 grams)

Source: USDA

Calories

Sugar


Total Fat

Protein


Potassium

Sodium


Dietary fiber


12

Readers’ Corner

ACI Agribusinesses

ACI Centre

245 Tejgaon Industrial Area

Tejgaon, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Phone: + 88 02 887-8603

E-mail: biolife@aci-bd.com 

            sectoedab@aci-bd.com

ACI Agribusinesses, the leading agriculture integrator in Bangladesh,

is dedicated to gaining prosperity of Bangladesh through food 

security. ACI Agribusinesses offers complete solutions to farmers and 

also educates them about the technical know-how.

www.aciagribusinesses.com

br

andc

om 

/ aci agr

ibusiness biolif

e- 024/17



A g r i b u s i n e s s e s

A C I

Creating Wealth for Farmers



Sharing is caring!

It's awfully hard to extract juice from bananas, even though they're 80% water. Have you ever tried 

squeezing one? Their molecular structure is just not very squeezable. The currently available 

banana juice is blended banana, not squeezed banana. Which is, obviously, cheating. But for 

some reason, Indian atomic scientists are trying to find a way to extract juice from banana. Yeah, 

atomic scientists! (From the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre)



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