BY DARGIE KAHSAY
Ten years ago, Ethiopia’s annual total agricultural productivity was less than 200 million quintals. But, thanks to different interventions to transform and modernize the agriculture sector, Ethiopia almost doubled its agricultural productivity within ten years and the effort of modernizing and transforming the agriculture is intensifying with new interventions by the reformist government.
Introducing agricultural mechanization, applying agricultural extension, developing and expanding modern irrigation, expanding cluster farming and integrated system, extensively using agricultural inputs are among the continuous measures taken by the government to transform the agriculture and to boost agricultural productivity. Ethiopia is a top producer of coffee in Africa. It has the highest livestock and honey resource in the African continent. With suitable weather condition for agricultural and animal farming, with all these resources, Ethiopia’s traditional agriculture system fails to secure food self-sufficiency. Considering the country’s potential in the sector and the available comparative advantages, the Ethiopian government gives due attention to transform the sector using technological advancements and scientific researches with the goal of ensuring food self-sufficiency.
Especially, following the launching of the three years “Home-grown Economic Reform” in 2019 and the ten year perspective plan in 2021, Ethiopia gives due focus to transform the agriculture sector. Following the launching of the home-grown economic reform, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched Summer Wheat Irrigation Development which aims to substitute wheat import with local product. With this initiative, Ethiopia expands wheat development to the lowland areas of Ethiopia which was never cultivated before. The Summer Wheat Irrigation Development initiative helps Ethiopia to start exporting wheat within less than three years and puts it on the right track to fulfill its internal wheat demand with local product. In addition, this year, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched Ylemate Tirufat initiative which focuses on boosting productivity in the agriculture sector, both in the crop farming and animal farming. Urban agriculture using technological outcomes is part of the new initiative which aims feeding local markets with local products.
To promote the initiatives and the technologies in the agriculture sector, Ministry of Agriculture of Ethiopia prepared an agricultural exhibition with due focus on agricultural science and agricultural technologies, opened at the Science Museum on 07 May. The exhibition started under the theme “from Laboratory to the Farm” and there is a plan to let the exhibition stay opened for a month for the mass to visit for free. At the exhibition, different agricultural technological products, latest agricultural inputs, agricultural products produced using modern technologies, scientific research results and other ideas, processes and value added products are presented at the exhibition. Over 70 companies engaged in transforming agriculture through science and innovations are participating in the exhibition. Inaugurating the science and agricultural exhibition at the National Science Museum on Sunday, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that Ethiopia is investing extensively in the agriculture sector to accelerate the development of Ethiopia. “We are working to develop knowledge-based agriculture in Ethiopia to realize our vision of creating a prosperous country. The science and application of our agriculture is displayed here at the exhibition to foster knowledge, inspire innovation, and motivate private sector investments in our country”, PM Abiy stated.
According to PM Abiy the necessity of organizing the exhibition is to create awareness on technological advancements in the agriculture sector, to sensitize the society about the necessity of agriculture, to promote technological developments and scientific outcomes in the agriculture sector and to create an experience-sharing environment among farmers and pastoralists. In addition, it helps to sensitize the young generation, students, researchers and investors on the role of science and technology to improve agricultural production and productivity. Various agricultural products and agricultural technologies and research outcomes were displayed with the goal of expanding technology and scientific researches in the agriculture sector with the goal of boosting production and productivity to realize sustainable development and ensure food self-sufficiency.
As to PM Abiy, science and technology would help us to exploit the potential in the agriculture sector and to explore the comparative advantages we have in the sector. By expanding technology and modern way of farming, Ethiopia can achieve food self-sufficiency. In addition, to export value-added. agricultural products and to compete at the international market, it is important to expand technology and modern way of farming in the agriculture sector. “Before 30 years, Ethiopia’s population was less than 50 million, but now, it exceeds 100 million. But, the agricultural land and other resources are limited. To feed the fast growing population, we have to boost production and productivity with the available limited land. Hence, it is important to focus on science and technology to increase productivity in the agriculture sector,” Prime Minister Abiy noted.
As to him, agriculture is vital for the three basic needs of all human beings, food, cloth and medicine. Hence, making agriculture sustainable and productive is investing in improving the livelihoods of human beings in all dimensions. “Agricultural revolution is growing by combining mechanization and information communication infrastructures,” he added. “Ethiopia is at the front in wheat production, number of livestock, and coffee and honey product in Africa” Abiy stated adding that “by investing in the comparative advantages that our country have in the agriculture sector, we can solve our food security problems. We are striving to transform the sector.”
“We are scoring good achievements in many products; especially with the initiative we launched recently, Yelemat Tirufat” Premier Abiy noted. The productivity of wheat, livestock, honey, poultry, fruits and vegetables is dramatically increasing following the new initiative, he added. As to PM Abiy, from the current agricultural land that Ethiopia is using, around seven million hectare of land needs treatment to keep the productivity of the land. Hence, it is important to invest in research and applying treatment mechanisms by mobilizing the people across the nation like the Green Legacy initiative. Attending a side event at the exhibition, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen on his part said that efforts should be strengthened and should continue to modernize Ethiopia’s agriculture.
As to Demeke, agriculture is the backbone of Ethiopia’s economy and it supports other sectors. Ethiopia’s government attaches the highest priority to transforming the sector by modernizing it. Developing the agriculture would help to strengthen the overall economy of the country, according to him, and promising achievements are registered in the sector with the continued efforts of the government. Demeke takes the agricultural activities in the lowland areas especially the wheat development initiative in lowland areas through irrigation as a testimony to the fact that the agriculture sector can be improved with continuous and necessary efforts. He underlines the necessity of changing the old ways of agricultural activities through mechanization and utilizing advanced technologies in the sector. On his part, Girma Amentie, Minister of Agriculture stated that the government has given due attention to the expansion of agricultural mechanization.
He mentioned the government’s decision that made importing agricultural equipment duty free. He underlined that modernizing the agriculture sector would continue as it is government’s salient priority area. As to the minister, during the last three years, the agriculture sector had been subsidized with over 36 billion birr . The end goal is to bring a change in the agriculture sector by introducing modern and advanced technologies that help to boost production and productivity of the sector.
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 12 MAY 2023
