ADDIS ABABA– Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources said it is working to modernize the dairy sector in collaboration with farmers’ cooperatives and different research institutes.
Segni Chemeda, a dairy expert with the Ministry told The Ethiopian Herald that though the country has great dairy potential, it has not been getting the required revenue due to failure to modernize the sector, adding that almost all farmers who are engaged in the sector use outdated mode. To this end, the Ministry is working to encourage farmers to adopt different technological equipments and rear new species of cattle through synchronization and hybridization.
He underscored that the government has launched the construction of Agro-Industry parks to enhance the productivity of farmers who engage in the sector by creating a market linkage between farmers and industry parks.
Furthermore, Segni indicated that UNDP (United Nations Development Program) has provided milk delivery trucks capable of holding up to ten liters of milk to the farmers’ association of four states in a bid to help farmers create market linkage.
He stressed that the linkage is helpful to earn better foreign currency as it allows them to add value to the dairy products. He noted that from the linkage both the agro-industry parks and farmers will benefit.
According to him, as protecting the health of cattle is essential, currently, the government has drafted a new animal health policy that enhances veterinary governance in line with the World Organization for Animal Health.
The Ethiopian Herald January 22/2020
BY TAMERU REGASA
