-Nation secures over 700 mln USD agri’l export earnings
-To harvest 300 mln quintals of wheat
ADDIS ABABA – Agricultural development works are gaining momentum stimulated by the 796 million USD export earnings achieved in the first quarter of this fiscal year, the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) said.
Briefing journalists yesterday on the first quarter performance of the ministry, Agriculture Minister Girma Amentie (PhD) said that his organization is putting efforts to improve agricultural productivity since the sector generated a 796 million USD export earnings in the first quarter of the 2024/25 fiscal year.
Accordingly, the ministry is striving to boost production through purchasing some 24 million quintals of fertilizers, in which, the first cargo would arrive Djibouti port within a week, he said, adding that his organization is also working on replacing the existing fertilizers with most suitable varieties.
Likewise, the ministry is exerting efforts to distribute two million improved seed varieties to farmers, while offering training to agricultural extension workers regarding capacity building activities, according to Girma.
Furthermore, it has been facilitating cluster and mechanized farming among others, to boost productivity. As a result, the commercialization of farming reached five million hectares of land, though it requires purchasing additional agricultural machinery and equipment, he added.
The country has managed to harvest some 83 million quintals of crop covering some 3.4 million hectares of land during the last spring season, he recalled.
The government is working to harvest 1.4 billion quintals of crop product by cultivating 30 million hectares of land in this fiscal year. The agriculture sector is expected to register 6.1% growth. To achieve this goal, necessary preparations are underway, the Minister underscored.
The irrigation farming preparation is underway combining crops with horticulture. The plan is to harvest 173 million quintals of wheat through covering 4.2 hectares of land with irrigated wheat. So far, over 850, 000 hectares of land have been prepared for this purpose, of which, 505,113 hectares of land is covered with irrigated wheat. The ministry foresees harvesting 300 million quintals of wheat, Girma expressed.
BY TSEGAYE TILAHUN
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SATURDAY 2 NOVEMBER 2024
