Irrigation is the first rung to ensure food security especially for highly populous and agrarian countries like Ethiopia. Using large scale irrigation schemes, India, China, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Thailand are ranked top rice producing countries through effective implementation of rice package with hybrid rice.
According to the 2017 report of the Ministry of Agriculture, Ethiopia has over 70 million hectares of land favorable for irrigation but only 3.3 million hectare is covered with horticultural grain. Even though the agricultural atmosphere of Ethiopia is conducive to produce more horticultural cereals, reports point out that the status of production is much lesser than the potential mainly due to fragile exercise of irrigation. Maize, sorghum, teff, wheat, barley, finger millet and rice are amongst the most potential grains.
The practice of rain-fed agricultural system causes the nation to face challenges during droughts that led Ethiopia to import million tons of agricultural products to ensure food security. Ethiopia, dubbed Water Tower of Africa, has low practice of Irrigation with recent developments of dams, irrigation canals expected to improve the agricultural system. Experts recommend the adoption of productive horticultural cereals including rice.
According to Ethiopian Agricultural Water Management and Smallholder Rice Production 2017 report, rice, which is most potential cereal next to maize, is dependent on rain-fed agriculture. Irrigated rice covers not far from 4 percent of the total allotment of production while the rest 96 percent depend on rain-fed. According to Ethiopian Institute of Agriculture 2017 report, Ethiopia owns 30 million hectares of land to produce rice even though only 5 million hectare is cultivated with irrigation accounting 50, 000 hectare.
Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research in collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) strives to practice irrigation and the use of selected rice to maximize domestic production.
Studies have also been conducted on rice as well as related horticultural cereals. Documents from Ethiopian Agricultural Research Center indicate that Ethiopian formal rice research was started since 1985 in Pawe and Abobo Research Centers. Fogera National Rice Research and Training Center (FNRTC) is among the research centers striving to push for mechanized farming, irrigation and rice productio. One of the project run by the center is Ethio-Rice .
The project that targets to scale up rice production in the country is being implemented under Ethiopian Institute of Agriculture with cooperation of JICA since 2015 and will be ended by 2020. Shewaye Abera, Director of the Center told The Ethiopian Herald that the Center is struggling to maximize productivity through conducting researches, providing training for farmers and experts as well as finance obtained from JICA.
In South Gondar, rice is among major target commodities cultivated widely in woredas like Anbesame, Fogera, and libo kemkem. On these three woredas , around 33,000 hectare of land is covered by rice using rain. And Ethio-Rice project covers and prioritizes major productive areas of Dera, Fogera and Libo Kemkem Woreda. It also coordinates with centers situated around Gonder, Metema and Dembia, Shewaye noted.
As to Shewaye, farmers cultivate rice up to 90 quintal per hectare and the center is doing its level best to promote implementation of irrigation, mechanized cultivation and reprocess rice straw for cattle feeding. Grain productivity of rice and its straw used as forage encourage farmers to give more emphasis on rice. Shewaye stressed the need for enhancing mechanized rice cultivation so as to secure the nations domestic production instead of importing grains. A farmer at Fogera area, Habtamu Aysheshim stated that most farmers cultivate rice with traditional practice.
Farmers of the area make their living from rice as the area carries huge potential for rise production. Habtamu stressed traditional agricultural system is the Major challenge affecting production. West Gojjam, nurtured with remarkable water resource, is far from using irrigated crops, a case the signals the country’s failure to unleash its potential. Abay Alemu is administrator of Jabi Tahnan Woreda located at west Gojjam. He said that there is disparity between potential and the practice. But, Ethio-SHEP, a project financed by JICA is initiating farmers to produce horticultural grains using irrigation.
Resident and Farmer at Finote Sellam, Tadele Beyene also emphasized despite huge potential for more horticultural grain production, farmers are not barley cultivate the crops which JICA is striving to reverse the trend.
Herald January 18/2019
BY YESUF ENDRIS
