Ethiopia ranks first in Africa and tenth in the world in its cattle population, respectively. However, it has not met the needs of the community in terms of supplying quality and quantity of milk.
As a result, the per capita milk consumption of our country does not exceed 66 liters and even the purity of the milk is getting less. Therefore, Ethiopia has unveiled the National Dairy Development Strategy to tackle such problems.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched “Yelemat Tirufat” development campaign, which focuses on nutritional opulence on November 3, 2022.
“In Arba Minch city, we launched Yelemat Tirufat development campaign, which focuses on nutritional opulence. The traditional food container, Lemat, represents a link between farmers, pastoralists, and consumers,” the Premier tweeted following the initiative.
According to him, Yelemat Tirufat development campaign aspires to get adequate nutritional food.
Abiy noted that food self-sufficiency is directly linked to national sovereignty and dignity, and Yelemat Tirufat campaign accelerates efforts to achieve food self-sufficiency at the family and national levels.
Experts in the agriculture sector also lauded the PM’s initiative as a milestone to re-invigorate the agriculture sector and create a conducive environment for sector practitioners and farmers to boost the sector’s productivity.
ILRI Director General’s Representative to Ethiopia Dr. Namukolo Covic underscored the significance of rebuilding livelihoods and empowering women in regions that have been impacted by conflict.
She delivered powerful messages in her speech titled “Tracking Evidence and Informing Policy to Rebuild Livestock-Based Livelihoods and Empower Women in Conflict-Affected Areas of Ethiopia.”
According to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the vision for Ethiopia’s food systems transformation entails “a holistic approach that encompasses production to consumption” enhanced food safety, nutrition, improved livelihoods, land preservation, and restoration, as well as resilience to shocks and stresses, she said.
The National Dairy Development Strategy emphasized the importance of the six food groups outlined in Ethiopia’s food-based dietary guidelines. Among these groups, the one comprising milk and dairy products, as well as meat, fish, and eggs, holds particular relevance, Covic stated.
This food group plays a pivotal role in promoting a healthy and nutrient-dense food basket, exemplified by the “yelemat Tiufat” initiative, which focuses on livestock livelihoods.
She emphasized the need to enhance food safety, nutrition, livelihoods, land preservation, restoration, and resilience to shocks and stresses in conflict-affected areas.
Special attention was given to the challenges faced by the National Policies and Strategies initiative team in preserving and restoring land, she said.
Dr. Covic emphasized that women’s livelihoods are vital for rebuilding communities and improving resilience in conflict-affected regions.
Dr. Covic’s speech shed light on the critical work being done to rebuild livestock-based livelihoods and empower women in conflict-affected areas of Ethiopia.
State Minister of Agriculture Fikeru Regassa (Ph.D) highlighted that Ethiopia’s livestock sector received limited investment, hindering its ability to contribute fully to the country’s development.
Despite the immense genetic diversity and potential for dairy development in Ethiopia, the current contribution of the dairy sector to the national economy and livelihoods is below its capacity, he pointed out.
Now, the government has recognized the immense value of livestock-based livelihoods, job creation, income generation, and foreign currency earnings, as to the State Minister.
The National Dairy Development Strategy aims to leverage the potential of livestock-based livelihoods to aid in post-conflict and drought recovery and empower women, he noted.
To address these challenges, the Ministry of Agriculture has developed a Ten-Year Development Plan and associated programs like Ten-in-Ten Development Initiative and “Yelemat Tirufat.”
The National Dairy Development Strategy provides a clear roadmap for the development of the dairy sub-sector that aligns with the Ten-Year Perspective Plan, the Ten-in-Ten initiative, and “Yelemat Tirufat.”
The strategy focuses on organized, rationalized, scientific, and sustainable development programs, facilitating knowledge and technology transfer, and enhancing institutional service delivery.
The National Dairy Development Strategy, Ethiopia is poised to unlock the full potential of its livestock resources, enhance livelihoods, and promote the empowerment of women.
Moreover, the Ministry of Agriculture disclosed that the implementation of ‘’Yelemat Tirufat” program has recorded concrete results in terms of development and benefiting citizens.
Accordingly, the initiative enables boosting productivity and production of dairy, eggs, chicken, honey, and related products as well as intensifies efforts to achieve food self-sufficiency and ensure nutritional opulence at the family and national levels.
So far, the program contributed immensely to job creation, increasing exports, and hastening import substitution.
Executive Director of Animal and Fish Resources Development at the Ministry of Agriculture Tsigereda Fikadu told ENA that the program has made overall achievements in the past one year.
She explained that under “Yelemat Tirufat” development campaign, more than 20,000 villages have been identified and put to work in honey, milk, and egg production in all areas of the country.
Monitoring, supplying resources, and awareness creation activities have been carried out for the selected villages, she said, adding the production of milk has increased from 5.8 billion liters to 8.6 billion liters, and it is expected to increase to 11.7 billion liters in the coming years.
She also mentioned that effective activities have been done in egg production and distribution of chicken, where the number of chickens has increased from 26 million to 42 million.
Thus, the program has recorded tangible results in development and benefitting citizens, Tsigereda elaborated.
Moreover, she mentioned that the development campaign has contributed to the efforts being made to become self-sufficient in food at the family and national level, especially to farmers who have benefited more from livestock resources.
Noting that the campaign has achieved great results in a short period, she underlined that efforts are being made to strengthen it.
On the other hand, she elaborated that the Ministry of Agriculture is providing necessary support in collaboration with various stakeholders for the achievement of the program.
In sum, “Yelemat Tirufat” is a four-year development program that aims to boost productivity and production of dairy, eggs, chicken honey, and related hive products. The development initiative also plays a crucial role in improving the daily nutrient intake of households, ensuring food security at the family level, and generating substantial economic returns through supplying extra products to the market. Creating job opportunities is also another advantage of the initiative. 59,000 jobs have been created annually through the development of livestock resources alone. Most importantly, the initiative has laid a solid foundation to ensure food security at the national level.
BY TEWODROS KASSA
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 6 SEPTEMBER 2024
