ADDIS ABABA– Though Ethiopia has huge potential of pulses and oilseeds both in variety and land suitability, its foreign earing from the sector is limited to 700 million USD per year, Ethiopian Pulses, Oilseeds and Spices Processors-Exporters Association said.
Though Ethiopian pulses and oilseeds are naturally organic and preferable in international market, the sector is not well promoted and yet the available potential in the sector is untapped. The productivity of the sector remains stagnant in recent years.
Association’s President Haile Berhe told The Ethiopian Herald that Ethiopia has huge potential both in variety of seeds and suitability of environment for different pulses and oilseeds products, yet the productivity of the sector remains stagnant in recent years.
According to Haile the average earning of the country from export of the sector is 700 million USD per year. Haile noted that the annual productivity of the sector is stagnant since 2013, though the sector grows fast since 2003 for ten years. In 2003 the productivity of the country’s popular oilseed product, Sesame was limited to 100 thousand tons which increased to 450 thousand tons after ten years. But now the productivity remains stagnant.
Haile stated that “for example the productivity of Sesame per hectare is three quintals in Ethiopia but in other countries the productivity per hectare exceeds over 10 quintals”. Even in the pulses sector the productivity in Ethiopia comparing with other countries is two or three times lower, he noted.
According to Haile only by using modern techniques of plowing like improved seeds, irrigation and fertilizer suitable with the ecosystem can boost the productivity to two and three folds. In addition exporting value added products will also increase the earning of the country by many folds with the available product. But there are shortcomings in this case and needs due attention, he stated.
To promote Ethiopia’s Pulses and Oilseeds sector and to create market linkage with the international level the association with Ministry of Trade and Industry are preparing a yearly international conference on the sector. General Director of Export Promotion Directorate General at Ministry of Trade and Industry Assefa Mulugeta on his part said that Ethiopia has a huge potential in the sector and government is working to capitalize on it.
The Director General said that Ethiopia has earned over 653 million USD from pulses and oilseeds export during last fiscal year. The country planned to earn 471 million USD by exporting 353 thousand tone oilseeds and 315 million USD by exporting 500 thousand tone pulses in this fiscal year.
Meanwhile, Ninth International Conference on Pulses and Oilseeds kicks off yesterday in Addis Ababa to discuss the potential, investment opportunities and market opportunities in the sector, it was learnt. During the opening session of the conference, the president stated that Ethiopia is exporting pulses and oilseeds to over 55 countries across the world. Over 600 participants from 25 countries are attending the conference.
The Ethiopian Herald, November 30/2019
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
