F OR eight years, farmers in third world and developing countries have been using a woven fabric hose manufactured in Wendouree to make better use of their scarce arable land.Now C.E. Bartlett has another order in production of its successful Flexiflume hose to send to Ethiopia.The hose, which has already shown great benefits in Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Cuba, Philippines and Pakistan, is mainly used to irrigate sugar cane.Bartlett marketing co-ordinator Matt Brown said the company had another contract to manufacture and send 121,000 metres of the hose and accessories to Ethiopia.The company will begin manufacturing early this year, to send it by the end of July.Previously, Bartlett had sold 50,000 metres of the hose to American company Chemonics International.Chemonics helped install the hose through its involvement in the US Aid Accelerating Sustainable Agriculture Program in Afghanistan.Bartlett later exported another 89,000 metres of the hose to Cuba and more than 800,000 metres to Ethiopia.Mr Brown said the main benefit of the lay-flat hose was that it had a unique outlet system which eliminated the need for wide channels."Since installing Flexiflume to irrigate their crops, Ethiopia's Metahara Sugar Factory has reported that their water efficiencies have been significantly improved," he said.Mr Brown said supplying the hose to developing countries allowed them to develop industrial sustainability. "The Afghanistan order has allowed previously non-suitable land to be cropped and irrigated, resulting in hugh economic benefits."