GONDAR- Edible oil factory with nearly 100 million Birr capital investment, owned by Tsehay Farmers’ Cooperative Union, inaugurated yesterday at Gondar City, in presence of federal and regional Officials.
During the inauguration ceremony, Usman Surur, General Director of Federal Cooperative Agency, said that; “The factory will contribute a lot in addressing the challenges in the market particularly with regard to unbalanced supply, demand and unhealthy price on consumers.” He also said that the factory will also have a big impact on effective use of natural and environmental resources apart from brining meaningful change on surrounding farmers that produce oilseeds.
Tsehay Cooperative Union Director, Endalkachew Abe, for his part said that: “The factory’s construction started two years back. What made the factory unique is, about 75 percent of its cost financed by member farmers in addition to using about seven locally available oil seed inputs like Sesame, Soya been, Sunflower and others.”
He also indicated that the factory has a capacity to produce 10,000 liter oil per day by using 300 quintal oilseed inputs. These means the factory need 70,000 quintal oil seeds per year, he added. Moreover Endalkachwe stressed that: “The factory have a vison to export Edible Oil, beyond local markets, because in the past years we were highly beneficial even by just exporting raw sesame, however, with high demand of edible oil, we will be more beneficial by such value adding activities.”
Usman Surur also added that, Cooperative unions are demonstrating difference in Value adding on agricultural products, in increasing member farmer’s income, in modernizing agriculture, in hard currency generation, market stabilization and in many other areas and these effort of Tsehay Farmers Union could be a showcase for these, he said.
Tsehay Farmers’ Cooperative Union is operating in 13 weredas with 143 basic cooperatives and 12,450 farmer members in general. The Union currently created job opportunities for more than 100 people.
The Ethiopian Herald, February 26/2019
BY YOSEF KETEMA
