Corteva Agriscience, Agriculture Division of DowDupont, officially launched as new agriculture brand to public and private sector representatives, growers and customers in Ethiopia.
Speaking at the event, Prabdeep Bajwa, President of Corteva Agriscince, Africa Middle East, said that Ethiopia has a population of more than 100 million and thus has a strong nutritional need for high quality, sustainable protein foods.
According to him, Ethiopia is one of the few African countries to have made significant progress in achieving the millennium development goals with one of the highest reductions in poverty rates globally. Between 1995 and 2011, the country’s poverty rate decreased from 63 to 37 percent.
Corteva Agriscience through its collaboration with the government and USAID implemented the Advanced Maize Seed Adoption Program (AMSAP), which resulted in 250,000 smallholder farmers increasing their productivity from 2.2 metric tonnes per hectare to 7 metric tonnes per hectare and their incomes by 1,500 USD annually.
The program aims to increase the productivity of smallholder farmers by giving them new, high quality options for maze seeds as we ll as improving seed distribution and post harvest storage.
Agricultural Transformation Agency, Production Productivity Senior Director, Dr. Chimdo Anchala, on his part indicated that improved seeds are the pillars of the agriculture, livelihoods and food security. Dealing with seed aid not only an agricultural and economic agenda but, also political especially for Ethiopia, since 80 percent of the populations are directly engaged directly on agriculture for their livelihood.
According to him, agriculture contributes 35 percent of the GDP and 79 percent of foreign currency earnings and it is major sources of raw material for the nation.
Although Ethiopia has great potential for agricultural production, agricultural productivity is much less than many other African countries related antibiotic and its factors.
He further mentioned that advancement in seed technology and seed industry remains to be the major challenges in Ethiopia. As a result still majority of our farmers are forced to use local and traditional varieties that are poor in yield and quality although recently some changes are realized.
He indicated that prior to the establishment of Pioneer in Ethiopia, seed production and supply was the domain of the government and shortage of high quality seed has been reported as serious bottlenecks, limiting the development of agriculture sector.
As to U.S Ambassador to Ethiopia, Michael Raynor, while Corteva itself is new, it is built on a foundation of more than 200 years of combined experience from some of the United States’ most esteemed companies, including Dow Agrosciences, DuPont Crop Protection, Pioneer Hibred, and PANNAR. Corteva also builds upon the strong historical ties of these parent companies in Ethiopia, some of which have been improving agricultural productivity here since the 1960s.
Corteva is both a very new and innovative company, and one with exceptionally deep expertise and a strong history of mutually beneficial investment in Ethiopia. The launch of Corteva here in Ethiopia is exciting for several reasons. The first, and perhaps most obvious, is the world-class capacity Corteva brings to increasing agricultural output, for the benefit of both producers and consumers. The second is the impact that Corteva will have in promoting private sector opportunities and job creation more broadly, in both Ethiopia and the United States. Third, Corteva’s impact will contribute to the achievement of Ethiopia’s strategic vision of broad based economic growth and development. Fourth, Corteva’s engagement will bring continued gains in meeting Ethiopia’s food security and humanitarian needs, while supporting many Ethiopians on their path to self-reliance.And Fifth, all of these benefits will complement the significant investments being made by the U.S. Government, to support Ethiopia’s political and economic reforms and to advance Ethiopia’s goal of a prosperous, stable, and democratically inclusive future.
Corteva’s launch in Ethiopia also offers tremendous opportunities to build upon the U.S.
Government’s ongoing investments in Ethiopia’s agricultural capacity. The United States recently announced a partnership with the Ethiopian Government for a new, five year Feed the Future strategy that will invest in food security, build resilience, and accelerate economic growth.
Ethiopia is one of only 12 countries worldwide chosen for this new initiative, reflecting the United States’ fullest confidence in the value and promise of our development partnership with Ethiopia. Already, under the previous phase of Feed the Future, more than one million farmers have learned how to adopt new technologies like better seeds and cultivation methods to improve productivity. Under the new phase of Feed the Future, we will build upon these gains while further strengthening our engagement with the private sector to find innovative solutions to the challenges Ethiopia faces. And that’s where companies like Corteva come in.
Under the first phase of Feed the Future, there was an important partnership between the U.S. Government, the Government of Ethiopia, and Corteva – which was then known as DuPont Pioneer that enabled over two hundred and fifty thousand maize farmers to nearly triple their average production and increase their average annual incomes by one thousand five hundred dollars.
As impressive as these gains are, they only scratch the surface of the potential for private-public collaboration to boost Ethiopia’s agricultural productivity, drawing on the proven success of the United States’ agricultural sector. Over the last 70 years, U.S. agricultural output has increased by 170%, even as land use fell by 24%. These gains were the direct result of decades of investment and research into agricultural technology, and the launch of Corteva will expand the impact of this experience and know-how here in Ethiopia.
The potential Corteva brings to Ethiopia is about much more than food production, as important as that is. For one thing, it’s also about food security. I’m proud that the U.S. Government, and the American people, have reliably and repeatedly stepped up to help Ethiopians in need. The United States is well known for its longstanding commitment as the largest bilateral provider of humanitarian assistance, by far, in Ethiopia. But the ultimate goal of our two countries is to quickly reach the point where Ethiopians no longer need such support, and companies like Corteva can help Ethiopia produce all the food it needs and more.
With over 80% of the country employed in agriculture, improving productivity is also key to unleashing the economic potential of Ethiopia’s rural population.
Ethiopia’s youth account for over two-thirds of its population, and pressures for job creation and economic opportunities will only grow.
Corteva’s commitment to Ethiopia’s agriculture development is also a commitment to Ethiopia’s job creation, broader economic agenda, and lasting prosperity. Corteva, and other U.S. companies like it, bring more than best-in-class seeds and crop protection solutions: they also have the capacity to look across the entire food supply chain to help farmers understand how they can better match their efforts to market demands. The U.S. private sector, including companies like Corteva, plays an impactful role in Ethiopia’s broader society as well, by encouraging sustainability and corporate social responsibility. By this, I mean the kinds of win-win commercial activity that benefit both our countries by bringing meaningful job creation; respectful and responsible labor practices; strong training and skills- development programs; technology transfer; and sound environmental practices to bear.
U.S. companies like Corteva understand that they only succeed when their host communities succeed as well. Corteva’s commitment to Ethiopia is the latest example of growing interest from U.S. businesses in this country. While my U.S. Embassy colleagues and I are very proud of how U.S. Government investments in the Ethiopian people are paying off, leveraging the capacity of American businesses – including the most successful and productive agricultural sector in the world – offers even more exciting possibilities for both our nations.
When the future of Ethiopia has never been more full of promise and potential, I’m very excited to see what the ever-growing collaboration between the United States, Ethiopia, and high-quality U.S. firms like Corteva, will
The Ethiopian Herald April 28/ 2011
BY LEULSEGED WORKU
