BY DANIEL ALEMAYEHU
It has been many years since Ethiopia has strived to meet its goal regarding boosting agriculture production and make it more productive so that the nation can meet its domestic food demand. The government has taken a number of actions to improve the sector through utilizing various inputs such as fertilizer, pest and herbicide. Even in the past few years, the government took decisive measures to register better results in the sector.
It is also important to remember the challenges that the world and Ethiopia have encountered. The war in the northern part of the country ignited two years ago coupled with the global pandemic, COVID-19, made the country unable to achieve what was planned. Major economic sectors have been seriously affected by the aforementioned challenges.
In this regard, the government took various measures to tackle those challenges and to bring long lasting solution. The best example might be the summer wheat production in irrigated farm that was initiated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed (PhD).
Accordingly, the nation has begun what it has been striving to achieve which is exporting wheat. The government has been working closely with stakeholders including farmers and the witnessed achievements attributes to this cooperation.
Ethiopia is blessed with multiple natural resources that can be used to generate income and to change the economic landscape in to the higher level. Especially in the agriculture sector which has a potential to bring tangible results for the nation economic growth and ensuring food security. The nation has untapped resource to increase its income generating from agriculture sector if modern mechanisms and up to date ideas are taken as input and implemented.
Regarding nation’s income generation, products from the agriculture sector take the top ranks. To this end, from agricultural products, coffee is one of the leading income generators to the nation. Accordingly, just last years, Ethiopia got over a billion USD from coffee export which is the highest record of the recent history of the country. Besides, the nation has started generating better income from other sectors including meat products.
Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture conducted a meeting and on the occasion its first half-a-year report on the current fiscal year was presented. According to the report, in the past six months of the fiscal year, the country has got more than one billion USD from exporting agricultural products to the international markets. It is proved that similar to the past; coffee is still the main foreign currency earner commodity among other export products. On the event, different department heads presented their six month performance report.
The Ministry’s Strategic Issues CEO Zenawu Habtewold stated that the major achievements which has been registered in different sub-sectors of agriculture. He said that from coffee, tea, and species export, the nation has obtained 664 million USD. The country has also gained 140 million USD from flowers, vegetables, and fruits. Besides, the meat and dairy sector generated an income worth of 52 million USD.
According to the report, for the last decade the country has started generating higher income from exporting cut flowers after anchor companies in the business started participating in the sector and due to strong global demands. However, it was unable to achieve the planned garnering foreign currency from fruit and vegetables and the registered achievement is below the average. It is because the country was engaged in the two years long war ignited in the northern part of the country. The soaring transportation cost also brought a negative consequence.
Zenawu further explained about the positive result obtained by the ministry. As to him, the ministry has achieved good results in organizing farmers in the cluster and enhancing production and productivity in farmlands. To this end, it has organized over 2.2 million farmers in 85,000 clusters and harvested 1.6 million hectares of land in six months.
In addition, regarding efforts to streamline the role and contribution of the agriculture sector in the overall economy, Zenawu noted that the ministry has also made praiseworthy activities in creating 521,000 new jobs in the reported period.
By the same token, the ministry has made concrete jobs to make farming more efficient and mechanized while enabling 725, 000 farmers to get access to a variety of agricultural machinery and equipment, he remarked.
The Ministry of Agriculture also has done multiple tasks to maximize the utilization of its every resource feasibly and economically. The ministry lately announced that it is applying Blue Economy Strategy with the help of IGAD to bring significant change in fishery sector centering the Horn of Africa.
Having stayed with The Ethiopian Herald, Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Aquaculture Resource Development Desk Head Fasil Dawit (PhD) stated that IGAD is working with the ministry to bring better changes in fishery sector in the Horn of Africa. He said that IGAD is facilitating conditions to connect non-coastal nations with coastal nations of East Africa to help them work cooperatively, and develop together in fishery activities thereby ensuring the new Blue Economy Strategy in the region.
The head also said that over the last six months of the fiscal year, Ethiopia produced over 40,000 tons of fish from lakes and rivers. Over the last fiscal year, about 73,000 tons of fish was produced at national level. The achievement indicated that the country can produce more than this. In its ten years perspective plan, the country planned to produce 247,000 tons annually.
Fasil said, “Some 2000 youths have got jobs over the last six months nationwide alongside “Yelemat Turufat” development initiative. This is why community’s habit of consuming fish products changes and demand for it is highly increasing.”
Moreover, there are around 200 fish species available in Ethiopia. Of which, 40 are endemic and six species out of this are commercially active; unfortunately, at this day, the majority of fish found in different lakes are depleted due to overfishing.
The head disclosed, “We are rehabilitating the vanished ones by hatching millions of fish establishing vast hatchery sites in Amhara, Sidama, Oromia and SNNP regional states and distributing more in lakes and rivers.”
Fishing equipment is entering to the nation free of charge so as to encourage fishery in the nation. Clear fishery policy is prepared, sharing experience with other nations of experts and the main achievement helps seize the ladder of success, he said.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2023
