Agriculture is the main stay of Ethiopia but, also remains the source of vulnerability to chronic food insecurity mainly due to low productivity and climate change, Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) stated.
As of EIAR, Wheat is the strategic crops in Ethiopia, because of its role for food security, import substitution and supply of raw material for Agro-processing industry. There is great potential to produce enough wheat grain locally through increasing the productivity per unit area or area expansion where an additional 3.5 million ha of potentially irrigable area is available in the lowlands of the country.
Ethiopia is the largest wheat producing country in Sub-Saharan Africa. Wheat is one of the major cereal crops produced by 4.6 million smallholder farmers on 1.8 million hectares of land with an estimated annual production of 5 million tons at an average productivity of 2.8 tons/ha which has been constantly increasing for the last 20 years, but much lower than the world average 3.3 tons/ha.
Despite the recent production increment, Ethiopia falls short of being self-sufficient in wheat production, and continually remains a net importer of about 1.7 million tons of wheat, draining national treasury.
Demand for wheat in Ethiopia is growing faster than any other food crop, particularly in urban areas. Demand and supply gap is widening because of increased population, food preference, low wheat yield resulting from climate change and consequent drought, diseases and insect pests. Hence, wheat consumption rate increases at 9 percent where demand outstrips local production which increases at the rate of 7.8 percent.
Availability of adequate and quality seed is a critical requirement of sustainable wheat production. Weak seed system is often mentioned as major constraint to production of adequate wheat in Ethiopia. If wheat seed production system is strengthened, then the wheat sub-sector would be strengthened resulting in bumper harvest, which in turn leads to food security.
The various entities of the Ethiopian Agricultural Research System are responsible for Early Generation Seed (EGS) production whereas the public and private seed enterprises are responsible for large-scale certified seed production. In addition, a wide range of semi-formal or intermediate seed sector actors represented by local seed businesses were allowed to engage in production and distribution of ‘quality declare seed.’
The Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), in collaboration with its strategic partners, has long been striving to change the existing seasonal rain-fed production system of cereals by developing wheat technologies suitable for the irrigated lowlands.
Ethiopia’s total wheat consumption, according to Mandefro Nigussie (PhD), Executive Director of EIAR is 67 million quintals. Of this, 50 million quintals or 75 percent is supplied from local product whereas the deficit 17 million quintals or 25 percent is fulfilled from import. This is the first among the three major reasons to be raised repeatedly with remorse whenever the country’s wheat self-sufficiency is under discussion.
The second reason is as the population of the country is increasing, the need for food increases simultaneously making additional product non optional. The third reason as to Dr. Mandefro is beyond self-sufficiency. It is a matter of joining market. He said that Ethiopia is the third wheat producer in Africa next to Egypt and Morocco. This implies that there is huge market in Africa. Therefore, high productivity enables Ethiopia to penetrate this market.
“If we are able to produce 5 quintals per hectare additional to the current net product on 1.8 million ha by applying full package, we can satisfy our self-sufficiency. These are; best seed, recommended agronomy practice, pre-protection and harvesting in time as well as treating acidic soil and draining wet soil.”
However, the best strategy at hand to fulfill the deficit as of Dr. Mandefro is irrigation development. Cultivating only 50,000 ha and producing an average of 40 q/h enables the nation produce 2 million quintals and upgrading the cultivated land to 450,000 ha with the same production capacity enables produce 18 million quintals which results in satisfying its need exceeding the imported amount.
According to the plan for 2019/20 fiscal year, the target is to produce 105,000 quintals of wheat seed on 3,000 ha of land via participating smallholder farmers, semi pastoralists and large scale farm cultivators or private investors.
The application system is performing crop rotation method in which cotton, wheat and soya bean are planted alternatively according to appropriate temperature for each, said Dr. Mandefro. These three products are essential for local consumption of wheat for food and others for industry inputs.
Among the processes to be carried out; the first one is demonstration how wheat can be produced in low land areas such as Amwash, Shebele and Omo basins. The second one is seed duplication and the third is production stage by participation of investors and semi pastoralists, noted Dr. Mandefro.
Regarding outcome of the demonstration, Derese Teshome, Agricultural Technology Inculcation and Communication Research Director for his part said that the productivity of initial seed is in the range of 26 – 72 quintals per hectare an average of 44q/h. The total product on 3502 ha of land is 154,088 quintals. Financial income gained from this is 215.7 million Birr with the price of 1,200 – 1,400 per quintal.
Expanding this encouraging outcome enables the country save 60 billion Birr to be spent for wheat import in the coming 5 years, said Derse.
Irrigation –based wheat production attracts various sects of the society. Amid the participants on this sector is Chombe Syum, an investor who had begun wheat production since 1999/2000 on Bale highlands. He also engaged in import and distribution of agricultural mechanization machineries.
Chombe said that he is allured by the scheme of government to produce wheat in low lands via irrigation. His enterprise has the capacity of cultivating 5,000 ha and he is ready to start as soon as government offered him the land and provided necessary financial budget as the scheme is out of his regular budget.
Girma Nanecho and Jemal Mehammed Qasim are model farmers from Arsi Zone Tibila project and leaders of associations with 302 and 270 members respectively. They are the beginners of irrigation –based wheat production in their surroundings. They brought their lands together and become effective by producing an average of 40-44 q/h of wheat with the support of government.
Observing the outcome, they strive to upgrade their productivity by exerting additional effort and equipping themselves with necessary inputs and applying crop rotation. Their threat as of Girma is market provision so that he is asking government to minimize the threat by facilitating conditions and improving road infrastructure.
Jemal mehammed for his part said that government has to help them by cleaning the canal otherwise there will be shortage of water in the future as the canal is being blocked by soil sediment.
From government’s side officials of Ministries of Finance, Water, Irrigation and Energy and Agriculture have assured that they are highly committed to support those who are engaged in the sector with ‘No Time’ spirit. They have promised at a national symposium held on 30 September, 2019, EIAR, Addis Ababa themed “Irrigation Based Wheat Production: A Transformation from Import to Export.”
The Ethiopian Herald October 8/2019
BY BACHA ZEWDIE
