BY ABEBE WOLDEGIORGIS
In the last two decades Ethiopia registered a double-digit economic growth and the achievement is proved by the international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Even though agriculture is the main stay of the nation’s economy and the means of living for 80 percent of the population, sectors such as service and industry played their own role for the registered economic growth.
In his speech on the inaugural ceremony of the establishment of the new government, Abiy Ahmed (PhD), Prime Minister of Ethiopia, said that his government is working vigorously to get rid of aid by enhancing agricultural production. Securing food self sufficiency, as to him, the country can keep away food aid and the consequences that accompany it. Doing so, 70 per cent of Ethiopia’s problems will be solved, he assured.
However, by denying the reality on the ground and distorting the clearly aired speech of the Prime Minister, the so called “daily telegraph newspaper” reported as if the premier’s statement implies total blockade of food aid to the war-torn Tigray region and to the rest of the country.
But the correct statement implies that if the country makes real sufficient food crops production, no need to receive wheat [food aid]. Rather, Ethiopia will be a reliable partner to any country instead of being food aid dependent.
Thus, the statement clearly indicated the Prime Minister’s and his government’s firm stance is to make Ethiopia food self -sufficient. The reason for this is feeding sizable number of the population by foreign hand out is a disgrace to a pride nation like Ethiopia.
In fact, though Ethiopia is economically poor at the moment, it is endowed with rich history and culture and to replicate this strength in the economic front, the nation is devoting its time and human resource and knowledge via utilizing its natural resources, land and water. And obviously, attaining food self- sufficiency will be real in the near future.
It is true that similar to other developing countries the agriculture is vulnerable to climate change and global warming and in time of adversity the sector is critically affected. Not only these, in the last two years the desert locust invaded the sector and brought a negative effect on the output.
However, against these back drops the government is trying its level best to boost the sector and to raise agricultural productivity and ultimately achieving food security.
In these regard, various measures have been taken. Input supply such as fertilizer, pesticides and selected seeds has been doubled in the last decade. The areas of land which utilized agricultural modern inputs also enhanced. Side by side with these, infrastructures such as roads helpful to bring inputs from port of Djibouti and supply to the middle of the farmers and to take products to the markets are expanded. The expansion of digital technology such as internet and mobile telephone has also helped farmers to get information easily about the market and to enhance their bargaining power.
In line with this, the land areas cultivated by irrigation are increasing from time to time. Currently, in addition to the rainy season, cereals such as wheat and maize are produced both in the low and high land areas of the country via applying irrigation scheme. Ethiopia annually imports 17 million quintals of wheat from abroad and for the nation which suffers from scarcity of hard currency, such procurement is not acceptable.
It is also noted that, as agriculture is a main stay of the economy importing agricultural products is a paradox.
Cognizant of these, to make the nation food self- sufficient, the government is dedicating its time and energy to produce wheat in vast areas of the country both in low and high land parts through irrigation.
Daniel Muleta (PhD) is working in the Ministry of Agriculture as the Head of Wheat Irrigation farm Promoting Department. While approached by The Ethiopian Herald, he said that it was possible to grow wheat in 20 thousand hectares of land last year.
This year in Oromya region alone 300,000 farmers are engaged in growing wheat in 160,000 hectares of irrigation farm land and in the Amhara region, wheat is cultivated in 5,950 hectares of land by using Koga irrigation project.
Last year in the first round of harvest, it was planned to gather 5 million and 75 thousand quintals of wheat and the gathering is undergoing since the month of October. From the Jima zone of Oromya region and Gode areas of Somali region, harvesting has taken place.
In the second round, it was planned to harvest 3.5 million quintals of wheat by cultivating 100 thousand hectares of land. In addition to these, it is planned to harvest 2.5 million quintals of wheat by growing in 245 thousand hectares of land.
Based on last year’s plan, if 8.5 quintals wheat is harvested from 245 thousand hectares, substituting half of the imported wheat will be possible.
As to Daniel, in the 2020/21 budget year it was planned to cultivate wheat in 3oo thousands hectares of land to harvest 10.5 million quintals but later it was revised. Therefore, according to the revised plan, 8.5 million quintals of wheat will be harvested.
However, it must be noticed that there were various upside downs among others, the occurrence of flood in the Afar region in addition to the frequent invasion of desert locust, left the crop demolished. The outbreak of COVID 19 also brought its own impact on transporting agricultural inputs to the areas.
Aragaw Kasu is a farmer in Amhara region and as to him, in Koga irrigation project, he with his colleagues cultivated wheat in 3500 hectares of land through cluster farming on their small plots of land. He further said that the government supported them by supplying inputs such as selected seeds and pesticides.
There are also projects which boost wheat cultivation in the Oromya region. The Ada woreda Agricultural Bureau head, Kebede Ararsa on his part said that last year farmers could produce 50 quintals of wheat per hectare. As to him, farmers could better perform during the winter than the rainy season.
Shimelis Abdisa President of Oromia Regional State tweeted on January 28, 2021; The Future of Ethiopia: to substitute import wheat our great farmers are working hard on irrigated wheat. In Oromia we covered more than 130,000 hec until now. No doubt our great farmers will achieve our plan 300,000 hec. True Ethiopia Patriots: Our Farmers.
According to experts, farmers in Amhara region have been engaged in wheat growing for the last 11 years but this year they cultivated in a new way to make a difference and to that end they utilized better inputs and increased their farm areas.
These all efforts indicate that Ethiopia sooner than later, could enable to substitute the importation of wheat whether in the form of aid or purchase. But against the reality, the pro Junta news paper the so called “Daily Telegraph” unethically and out of the media profession published news story by distorting the prime Minister’s statement to misinform the international community. The intention to defame the nation image is futile and truth is prevailing against politically motivated fake news, it is learned.
The Ethiopian Herald October 21/2021
