The activities being carried out in the agricultural sector in recent years have resulted in many outcomes. The government has implemented policies and strategies that are considered important and crucial for the success of the sector, implemented various initiatives, and provided many supports, which are increasing the production and productivity of the sector.
Peace is one of the important issues that contribute to the effectiveness of the sector. No matter how many policies, strategies, etc. are formulated and implemented, and how much support is provided, the desired effectiveness cannot be realized without reliable peace.
At a forum organized by the Ethiopian Press Agency themed “Peace and Economy” in the second edition of “About Ethiopia” program, which was recently organized in Butajira city, Central Ethiopia Region, State Minister of Agriculture, Fikru Regasa (PhD), who presented a keynote speech on the agricultural sector, which is the backbone of the Ethiopian economy, gave an explanation on the activities being carried out in the agricultural sector, the potential of the sector, the benefits of peace for the sector, and other related issues.
The State Minister said that Ethiopia has natural resources that enable it to produce many types of crops and favorable conditions for raising animals. “We have been observing this natural resource for a long time and have wasted our time without working on it,” the State Minister said, adding that since the reform, it has been possible to demonstrate in practice that the country’s economic growth can be increased by paying attention to and developing the natural resources in the right way.
Referring to the reform of the homegrown economy, he said that agriculture is one of the country’s economic foundations and is being carried out to make it an input for other sectors and to carry the economy.
Therefore, agriculture is contributing one-third to the Ethiopian economy. It also creates job opportunities for more than 75% of the population.
He stated that it is not possible to change agriculture in the usual way, and it is not possible to feed the nearly 130 million people, ensure food security, and support the economy as required. Strategies have been formulated and implemented in a special way to bring about change in the sector, and he said that all relevant parties in the sector are participating.
He also stated, “We should focus on the unique natural resources that can provide short-term solutions to our problems, and that efforts are being made by the government and the public to identify the works that need to be done and implement them in an initiative manner according to the local conditions.”
He noted that good results are being achieved, and it is an open secret that the results are making a significant contribution to food security. There are works that have changed history in this regard.
According to the State Minister, among the changes seen in the country, the country’s farming culture is improving. Previously, herders and farmers used to plow only once a year and spend the rest of their time on unprofitable things. This situation has been a reason for not producing enough produce.
Now, as everyone knows, there is a main harvest. As soon as the main harvest completed, summer farming is replaced; as soon as it is harvested, autumn farming follows, indicating how much the agricultural work has changed. Therefore, by improving the work culture of the agricultural sector, it has been possible to create an environment that allows for production at least three times a year.
As Dr. Fikru explained; in the same way, a change has been recorded in land development coverage; the cultivated land, which was around ten to fifteen million hectares has been increased to 30.5 million hectares this year. Productivity has also increased at the same rate and reached a production level of 1.4 billion quintals.
The change in work culture, the increase in the cover of arable land has enabled productivity to increase at the same rate; this can be said to be a great achievement.
Previously, wheat was grown only in areas with highlands and semi highlands. Currently, wheat is being grown in all areas where it was not previously grown; this is because the land is being cultivated; it is not an easy change to bring this land into cultivation.
Citing rice production as an example, the State Minister explained that Ethiopia, until recently, used to consume 100% by importing it. Currently, there is a very promising growth in rice production in the country. Efforts are being made to make the country self-sufficient in rice production in a short time and rice is cultivated on an area of about 1.2 million hectares.
Rice and wheat cultivation is being carried out in areas where crop cultivation is not known previously. In this way, the pastoralists are entering crop farming and increasing productivity.
He noted that all these are indicators that agriculture is on the path of development; which allows us to say that great success is being recorded in the sector.
“When I look at the changes brought about by agriculture, it is regrettable that our name has been mentioned in various dictionaries for centuries with famine. While we have been able to produce extensively and provide to other countries, we have been facing drought due to climate change and various conflicts. We were also known as an aid dependent at the international level,” he said.
He also announced that today, the country has been able to stop importing wheat by becoming self-sufficient in wheat production; it has also entered the export market; this is a great victory. The country is doing a history-changing job. However, this work is not the result of one person or one sector; it is the work of all Ethiopians.
The State Minister mentioned that the existence of the necessary conditions for achieving production growth and the ability to mobilize resources have made agriculture better. The fact that agriculture was developed in a strategic way rather than in a conventional way is another secret of its success. This starts with policy formulation.
According to his explanation; Ministry of Agriculture has reviewed the previous agricultural and rural development policy and is introducing policy reforms in line with the homegrown economic reform. These policies also support the legal frameworks underway.
According to the State Minister, many activities have been carried out under the Lemat Trufat Initiative in the last two to three years. Although Ethiopia has one of the highest livestock populations in Africa, it has not been able to utilize the sector to its full potential until recently.
Currently, special attention is being paid to the livestock sector. For centuries, we have only been talking about the number of animals so that they can be raised in a modern way, and their production and productivity are increasing. As a result, a great change has been made in the livestock sector.
In terms of supporting the economy, very high-performance work is being done in coffee cultivation and export. Efforts are being made to bring in two billion Dollars from coffee exports this year.
The State Minister also noted that the biggest and key issue for increasing production and productivity is the issue of peace. The producer community can only go out to work when the environment is peaceful, and he emphasized that everything from the provision of inputs to production and taking the product to the market can be done when there is peace.
“I would like to take this opportunity to express that our agriculture has a great contribution to our peace, and our peace to our agriculture.”
He also noted that agriculture is a field that requires participation; he recalled that in the past, neglecting the pastoralist was considered. The work being done by bringing pastoralists to this sector should be strengthened. Youth, women and other stakeholders in the sector should be involved. Such a process has started in both urban and rural areas.
One of the most important issues considered is what is the potential of the regions? An agricultural roadmap should be prepared and made public at the regional level according to the potential of each region. This does not mean that everyone should be given the same clothes, but that each region should focus on its own capabilities and natural resources and prioritize them accordingly.
BY BACHA ZEWDIE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 12 MARCH 2025
