Since Ethiopia has an optimum atmosphere to grow wheat, the current reform needs to address certain limiting factors and boost domestic wheat production in order to make the nation wheat self-sufficient, according to an expert at Ethiopian Institute of Agriculture (EIA).
Lead Researcher and Advisor to Deputy Director General for Research at EIA Adugna Wakjira (PhD) told The Ethiopian Herald that the nation has favorable conditions to encourage the maximum production of wheat if the farmers have the right seeds, the right agronomy and the right policy support. “The unceasing population growth and economic progress along with urbanization over the last decades caused a high demand of wheat in diets. And the domestic supply of the wheat sector could not meet this rising demand.
As a result, the government has continuously been importing the wheat to close the gap between the demand and supply,” said Adugna adding that provided that the government carefully addresses some limiting factors, increasing the domestic production can meet the rising demand. As to him, the limiting factors include lack of available technology, inadequate provision of resistant seeds to the farmers, lack of proper awareness among the farming community, constrained access to information and the like.
“For several decades, the government could not pay proper attention to tackle the constraints in the sector and improve the production and productivity of wheat,” he said stating, “If the ongoing reform properly addresses those impediments and invests to maximize the domestic production, there would be very significant achievements that can dramatically meet national expectation.” Moreover, proper use of agricultural techniques and improved seeds can substantially help farmers to improve their productivity and this in turn will result in forex savings, he said.
The Ethiopian Herald May 21/ 2019
BY WAKUMA KUDAMA
