Ethiopia is one of the countries in the world with the most natural resources that includes many limestone deposits. According to the Ministry of Mines, more than 900 million tons of limestone resources are available in Ethiopia. However, as limestone is a very precious natural resource, it could not be used as needed. The value of limestone also begins with the materials used to extract the resource from the ground.
Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, Dire Dawa and South regions are among the areas where limestone is widely available in the country. Limestone mineral can be used for different sectors; it is mainly used to treat acidic soils. Treatment of acidic soil is also a matter of special attention as a country. According to the data of the Ministry of Agriculture; although there is a large amount of limestone in the country, it is very little used. For example, only 10.3% was used to treat acidic soil.
Zena Habteweld, Chief Executive of Strategy and Planning of the Ministry of Agriculture, said while presenting a report on the performance of the Ministry of Agriculture to the House of People’s Representatives; there was a plan to supply 1.5 million quintals of lime in the 2022/23 fiscal year to treat acid-affected land. However, only 10.3 % of the efforts made to treat the land affected by acidity in different regions of Ethiopia. This means that it was possible to provide about 110 thousand quintals of the required amount of lime, which is very low.
Seven million hectares of land or 43 % that is currently being cultivated is affected by acid. This land could not be treated with lime. Thus, the acidity is wide. The CEO explained that the increase in acidity reduces the efficiency of fertilizer from 71 to 100 percent;
Had the 71 % of the fertilizer imported with a lot of effort not used, it would be great loss to the country’s economy. It is also a challenge for the farmers. Therefore, he said that they should work extensively on using own resources.
Sophia Kassa (PhD), State Minister for Investment and Resource Sector of the Ministry of Agriculture, mentioned that the amount of lime needed to treat a piece of land is high. She said that up to 30 quintals of lime is needed to treat one hectare of land and for this it needs 35 thousand Birr. In addition, this amount of lime is not easily available to the farmers. Therefore, it is a voluntary duty to work as a country on the conditions that enable the widespread use of lime ore and to try to solve the problem. “In this regard,” she said, “The ministry’s efforts to work with other institutions are very encouraging.”
Treating acidic soil with lime can increase crop yield and productivity from ten quintals to 40 or 50. In particular, regions such as Sidama and South-West Ethiopia, whose arable land is completely affected by acidity, should work to a large extent by utilizing this resource. to this end, the agreement reached between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Mines to work together will greatly help in the utilization of limestone.
The agreement will help identify the type of lime that can be used to treat acidic soil in a short period of time and know how much resource there is, as well as the way in which the product is produced. For this reason, a technical committee has been set up to treat the acidic soil that is spreading in Ethiopia with limestone.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Acidic soil is spreading in Ethiopia, especially in Oromia, Amhara, Sidama, Southwest Ethiopia and South regions, so that production and productivity has decreased. In general, as a country, the problem has reached a very dangerous level.
In Ethiopia, more than 3.1 million hectares of land is highly acidic soil. Therefore, the use of limestone resources to treat this acidic expansion in the short and medium term should not be a desire, but an obligation, the officials of both ministries explained during the agreement.
Limestone is mainly composed of calcium carbonate (CaCO3); its significance is abundant. It has breadth and depth according to its types. However, only three types of lime are commonly used in the world. These are agricultural lime, quicklime and packed lime.
“Agricultural Limestone”
This type of lime is given different names in different countries but the advantage is consistent. It is the most widely used type of lime for plant growth. In particular, it has a significant role in improving the soil and raising its PH scale. By increasing the plant’s supply of calcium, it results in optimal nutrient production; and prevents soil acidity by controlling fungi. Often, when there is excessive rain, plants can be attacked by acid, so there is nothing that can be done to treat this.
Agricultural lime is also used as a substitute for fertilizers. It allows crop residues to decompose and become natural fertilizers. This means that it reduces soil acidity and increases yields in crops again; Reduces aluminum toxicity; it helps make fertilizers more effective and also improves the physical condition of the soil by reducing acidity. It increases the balance of both water and air and makes Phosphorus more useful in the soil. . That is, it is a method to increase productivity from 50 to 118 percent by treating acidic soil.
Quick lime
Quick lime is a widely used chemical compound. Like agricultural lime, it is beneficial to plants. It is used as herbicides and fertilizers to get rid of pests that harm plants. Because it provides calcium, which is essential for plant growth and healing, it is often used as a treatment for desert pits and natural debris. It also acts as antifungal and antibacterial agent.
Such limes are insecticides; they are used in all industrial processes as softeners, dryers and also as raw materials and are called versatile. They are also known for their diversity.
Slaked Lime
Slaked lime is different from other types mainly for the following reasons. One is to preserve moisture. Many plants are protected against excessive moisture from the soil or environment. It prevents acid rain and allows plants to grow and preferred as it has all these benefits. It is also different from others in the area of disease prevention that is it prevents pests and diseases from invading crops. It is also an antifungal medicine. It is also used in construction and food processing.
Although these types of lime have so many benefits, little is being done to make them usable. It is for this reason that three million hectares of land has been severely affected by acid. Data also indicate that it is impossible to treat this much land at once.
However, now the government is planning to solve this problem through the Ministry of Agriculture in the next ten years to treat the land affected by acid. To achieve the plan, nine million quintals of lime are needed every year. For this, it is necessary to earn about one billion Birr per year. To achieve this, it is important to expand the factories where lime is produced so that the farmers can easily get the limestone. The offices of the Ministries of Mines and Agriculture have also agreed to work on the issue.
Data indicates that some regions are doing some activity in this regard. Amhara region experience is good example in this regard. The region is one of the areas where limestone resources are widely available. And as Amhara Media Corporate pointed out in its report few months back; 3, 390 hectares of acid-affected land was treated with lime last year in the region.
As the benefit is becoming more apparent, in the next production season, it is planned to use more than 250 thousand quintals of lime to treat 12, 500 hectares of acid-affected land. The work of supplying lime to the farmers has also started. In this way, it facilitates the condition of the manufacturing plants to work at their full capacity. It is said that more than 7, 800 quintals of lime have been distributed to the farmers till the time this information was consolidated. Therefore, it has been explained that it is necessary to think that continuing this work in other areas is saving the country.
BY BACHA ZEWDIE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD FRIDAY 4 AUGUST 2023
