ADDIS ABABA- Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) said it is exerting efforts on preparatory tasks to ensure sustainable surplus input supply for Integrated Agricultural Industrial Parks (IAIPs) that the government is currently constructing in four different states of Ethiopia.
Tariku Tadele, Dairy Director at the Ministry told The Ethiopian Herald that the preparatory job is being undertaken on four sectors, dairy, red meat, poultry and apiculture. He said a national task force was established since the launch of the IAIPs’ construction.
Tariku, who is also Focal Person of the Task Force, said a value chain analysis has been conducted to evaluate the potential as the industries require sustainable surplus product in quantity and also that complies with the industrial standards.
In collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), we have made the value chain analysis and business plan on the Bulbula Agro Processing Industrial Park on dairy, red meat, and milk products as a sample. The sample has been duplicated and distributed to all the states throughout the country”, noted Tariku.
Based on the sample , data has been collected that shows the potential in every kebele where the industrial parks are nearby. Meanwhile, Tariku underlined that the current status of production is very low that the industrial demand, covering nearly 25 percent of the input supply. But taking that into account the industrial parks are still under construction and because the task is a process, possible interventions to be done are identified.
“We have also provided technical trainings for senior experts in all states and for agriculture officers at woreda level,” he said. Establishing Rural Transformation Centers (RTCs), is also one of the major tasks that has been done by the Ministry. According to Tariku, these RTCs are where semi-processing, production aggregation process, sorting and auctions take place.
Thus, they have crucial role in terms of ensuring sustainable inputs for the industries. In this case, enhancing transportation, storage and auction systems is underway as part of the preparatory task and the national target is providing better access with in hundred kilo meters radius in woredas, where the RTCs are established. But adjacent woredas are also considered to supply their products for RTCs nearby, Tariku stressed.
Moreover, he said the job requires integrated efforts of Ministry of Trade and Industry, Cooperatives Agency, MoA etc including the engagement of investors. Speaking of technology injection Tariku noted that 400, 000 doses of animal hormone was brought to the Country for species improvement purposes. Among this 40,000 doses have been used for breeding, according to him. The IAIPs are being built with pilot level in Amhara, Oromia, Tigray and Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples states.
Herald January 19/2019
BY HENOK TIBEBU
