Addressing the need of food self-sufficiency answers not only the question of securing daily bread, but it frees the country from gratuitous pressure of some western countries and their allied multilateral institutions established mainly in the name of humanity, peace and security but acting as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Aiming to achieve such big dream, the Ethiopian government is working vigorously employing the nation’s natural and human resources.
To this end, according to Selamawit Kassa, State Minister of Government Communication Service, the Government has been ramping up constructions of large scale irrigation schemes. The schemes comprehend irrigated fruits and vegetables in addition to wheat and other cereals.
Due attention is paid for irrigation development and activities are underway to increase production and productivity of fruits and vegetables in regular irrigation farming apart from the efforts to boost lowland wheat production.
In line with the regular irrigation scheme, 349,000 hectares of land has been cultivated of which 311,000 hectares is covered with fruits and root vegetables, the State Minister noted.
She further indicated that, 146,000 hectares of land has been covered with irrigated wheat out of 256,000 hectares that was cultivated for similar purpose. The government expects to harvest 16 million quintals of wheat from winter season irrigation this year out of the farming to be undertaken on 400,000 hectares of land as per its plan.
It was learned that 17 irrigation projects that worth 9.8 billion Birr will be constructed by the government in the current fiscal year. Meanwhile, 17.5 million quintals of wheat is expected to be produced in this year’s winter season in Oromia and Sothern Nation and Nationalities Regions through irrigation farm.
The Oromia region has a lion share in wheat production and to that end it prepared 350,000 hectares of land.
According to Abera Worku, Agricultural Bureau Head of Oromia State, though the nation is endowed with diversified agro ecological zones suitable for agriculture, crop failure has been a common phenomenon due to the frequent drought. Therefore, to withstand the crop crises, producing wheat in winter season through irrigation has been taken as a way out.
He further said that the nation in one way or another, imports wheat so that it spends a meager hard currency which it ill affords. Hence, producing wheat in large irrigation farm can help import substitution venture that the nation currently aspires the most.
In addition, the scheme to practice wheat farming both in winter and summer seasons helps to raise productivity and boost farmers’ income.
Moreover, the scheme serves to utilize untapped surface water for enhancing agriculture production so that realizing food security will be imminent. Winter season irrigation farm practiced last year was successful and significant amount of wheat was produced. Hence, taking the practice as a spring board, much effort is exerted in Oromia region to redouble wheat production.
As to Abera, preparing the land for wheat cultivation is underway and till now, 200,000 hectares of land is prepared and out of it 105,000 hectares of land is sowed by wheat seed and efforts are continued to complete the remaining farm.
The winter wheat cultivation program is underway with the cooperation of various stakeholders and among others, the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute, the Federal Agricultural Institutions, the Agricultural Transformation Agency, Universities and various research institutions at various level are participated.
As to Abera, Oromia region has its own selected seeds reproducing centers known as the Oromia Seeds Enterprise (OSE) and supplies its products to the winter irrigation farm development sites. The enterprise supplies its products not only to the Oromia region but also to the Afar region.
It also supplies its products to the small scale farmers in the Oromia region. And the supply will continue in the summer season. Among the various specious of wheat, the “Situ” type which is produced last year by farmers is distributed to other producers.
As to Abera, the region’s winter irrigation wheat farm was sowed since last November and will continue up to the coming January. The crop planted in November, 2021 will be harvested in February, 2022. The crop planted in January which rarely gets belg rain also will be harvested in April.
On the other hand, the Southern Nation, Nationalities and People’s Region Agricultural cluster coordinator, Osman Surur said that Ethiopia in the last three decades used to imported wheat from abroad. The imported wheat, whether in the form of aid or by purchasing has its own adverse impacts and among others the imported wheat cannot be reproduced apart from leaving the nation to develop dependency syndrome.
As to Osman, currently, the government is exerting efforts by coordinating its resources such as agricultural man power, water resource; and preparing large scale farming helpful to substitute the importation of wheat.
Based on the government’s plan in the Southern Nation, Nationalities and People’s Region, cultivating crops in all plots in this winter season is undergoing with the initiation of not letting a single plot unsowed.
The winter irrigation farm cultivation practice in Oromia, Amhara and Afar regions in the last two years is practiced and taking this as a lesson, the Southern Nation, Nationalities and People’s Region is trying its level best to replicate these achievements.
He further said that despite the region is new in practicing winter irrigation farm; it tries its level best by galvanizing the available resources of the region.
The region planned to utilize about 172 small scale irrigation farms for the intended cultivation of crops in 15,000 hectares of land. In addition to focusing on cluster farming, it planned to produce more than half a million quintals of wheat in winter season.
As to Osman, cultivating wheat through irrigation farm in the winter season has more meaning than producing. Therefore, to meet the objective of ensuring food security, the regional government provided farmers with selected seeds, fertilizers, agrochemicals and other inputs.
The region planned to cultivate 15,000 hectares land comprising the newly established South Western Ethiopia Region and out of it 10,000 hectares of land is cultivated in the Southern Nation, Nationalities and People’s Region. And up to now 5,500 hectares of land is ploughed in the first and second round and more than 3,000 hectares of land is cultivated at the third round level. The remaining 1,500 hectare is covered by seeds.
The winter irrigation wheat farm in the region cultivated with the involvement of the office of agriculture, agricultural research centers, irrigation offices and the region is divided in five clusters and at late three professionals assist farmers in two zones. In addition, to avoid false report, the ploughed farm is monitored through GPS and supervision also takes place.
As to Osman, what matters more is not the size of the ploughed land. Rather, it is availing the product to Ethiopians in need. Because curbing the syndrome of dependency on foreign aid is the priority agenda of the nation.
He further said that a mentality of food self-sufficiency must be developed in the region from the lower class of farmers up to the higher segment of the society.
Farming must be supported by technology and cluster farming is one of it. Currently, farmers are showing interest in utilizing mechanized tools and if utilizing surface water resources is realized, it can be possible to produce crops more than twice a year and in such a way enhancing productivity can be possible.
In a similar way, mechanization farm got acceptance by all stakeholders in Oromia region and by now, farmers by their association and unilaterally have used to plough their farm by tractor and combiner during the harvesting period.
In the region, enabling environment is created to farmers to save their money and secure loan for purchasing agricultural tools. In line with this, water pumps are supplied to farmers.
According to Abera, the region’s Agricultural Bureau is engaged in cultivating various sub sectors like fruits and vegetables, such as avocado, mango and papaya which are conducive to the specific agro ecology. In addition to this, to boost the coffee production which is the major export earner crop, new improved seedlings are introduced and distributed to coffee growers.
BY ABEBE WOLDEGIORGIS
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD DECEMBER 24/2021
