Economic well-being and economic sovereignty as drivers of sustainable development are the thematic expanses on which every country would love to capitalize. Several means are being utilized by countries to hit such a dependable target to declare independence in socio-economic scenarios. For example, countries have been using several fertilizer types to boost production and productivity. Ethiopia is not the exception in such a lucrative move to bring about better agricultural production and productivity.
Keeping this fact in mind, The Ethiopian Herald talked to Mekonnen Dedefo, an economist who graduated from Jimma University, to have a professional point of view along that line.
He said, “Recognizing the importance of the economics of fertilizer use for crop production, scholars and/or researchers in agronomy and agricultural economics began cooperating on the most profitable rates of plant nutrients for different soils. They have all the time provided the farming community with information that enables the latter to make more efficient use of fertilizer, thereby leading to an overall increase of efficiency in agricultural production. Undoubtedly, fertilizers can aid in making profitable changes in farming. Operators can reduce costs per unit of production and increase the margin of return over total cost through increasing rates of application of fertilizer on principal cash and feed crops.”
The consumption of agricultural fertilizers in Ethiopia is increasing. Fertilizers are an essential tool to help farmers in the country and around the world meet the challenge concerning feeding a growing population.
These days, the government has attached due emphasis to fertilizer utilization to further develop new technology thereby producing high-efficiency fertilizers made with organic carbon. On top of that, the government is proposed a new fertilizer procurement system. The proposed fertilizer procurement system allows for contracts with suppliers to be extended up to three years, effectively shortening the time it takes to procure the agricultural input by a maximum of four months.
True, he said, a range of carbon control technology converts various forms of organic waste into high-efficiency fertilizers that are rich in nutrients and soil-building carbon and economical to use in large-scale agriculture, as well as for lawn and plants in commercial and home use. These fertilizers improve on conventional chemical fertilizers by releasing nutrients more slowly. This gives plants the ability to absorb the nutrients they need to develop and grow. The more efficient uptake means less unabsorbed nutrients are left in the soil, reducing the risk of them releasing harmful greenhouse gas emissions or contaminating waterways.
He said, “The conflict between Ukraine and Russia has been a major agricultural bottleneck as the two warring countries are principal producers. The conflict even has created more demand for crops and agricultural products in many countries of the world as both nations have been serving as exports and contributions to the food bank.”
As to Mekonnen, in the longer term, climate change and a growing population will continue to challenge the global food supply making it critical to produce more food sustainably. Supporting new on-farm, climate-smart practices are essential if Ethiopian farmers are going to continue making sustainable production gains.
Since the release of Ethiopia’s strengthened climate resilient plan, the government has been working to improve the environmental sustainability of fertilizer and the farming community across the nation has been using these crop-improving spices.
Mekonnen further elucidated that increase adoption of regional and farm-specific approaches needs to be well entertained to reverse the trend of rising emissions from fertilizer utilization. Indeed, the Ethiopian government had better continue to work with farmers across the nation to support strategies and practices for adapting to climate change and for producing more quality food for a growing population predominantly using fertilizers.
He said, “Ethiopia needs to continue exerting efforts to ensure farmers access to fertilizers as some irregularities have been witnessed these days. Besides, innovative fertilizer technology should be well recognized as it is a key on-going priority to support the development of affordable and environmentally sustainable fertilizers that help farmers across the nation to improve the food supply.”
“As far as I am concerned,” said Mekonnen, “agricultural technology and every means of bolstering production and productivity have to continue to be Ethiopia’s best hope in meeting the ever-growing food demand through using high-efficiency fertilizers since it is an important step towards providing all farmers with inputs to help them sustainably increase their production and productivity.”
According to Mekonnen, making agricultural production by utilizing by-products from the waste biomass from the agriculture and forestry industries needs to be the country’s prominent strategy to provide better solutions to agricultural-related hurdles.
He added that Ethiopia has to capitalize on producing either chemical or organic fertilizers to transform the agriculture sector into an industry-led economic scenario via environmentally utilizing sustainable and effective fertilizer products.
The agricultural transformation program is a widely exercised initiative in the nation aiming at accelerating the pace of innovation by providing support for per-commercialization science activities and cutting-edge research that would in turn benefit the agriculture sector in the country.
He said, “Fertilizers, simply, plant nutrients and supplements, I.e. products other than fertilizers that improve the physical condition of the soil or aid plant growth and crop yield, when imported and sold in Ethiopia are annually used in the nation.
He further added that fertilizer utilization requires that all regulated fertilizer and supplement products should be safe for humans, plants, animals, and the environment. They must also be properly labeled to enable safe and appropriate use. The mandate of the fertilizer contributing concerned body needs to cover a wide range of products sold for agricultural, commercial, and home and garden purposes such as farm fertilizers, micronutrients, lawn and
garden products as well, supplements, water holding polymers, microbial inoculants, liming materials, as well as waste-derived materials such as composts and municipal bio-solids.
“Some fertilizers and most supplements require registration and a comprehensive pre-market assessment before their import or sale in Ethiopia. Products that are exempt from registration are still subject to regulation and must meet all the prescribed standards at the time of sale or import,” he said.
In due course of buying a variety of fertilizers, the government has to conduct assessments focusing on the evaluation of product safety towards humans, plants, animals and the environment, too. Doing so requires supporting information, which varies in scope depending on the nature of the product and/or fertilizer. The basic supporting information includes the product label, the manufacturing method, and a complete list of ingredients and source materials, he suggested.
“Besides, safety evaluators examine all ingredients in a fertilizer or supplement including the active components as well as the formulas, carriers, additives, potential contaminants and by-products that might be released into the environment as a result of product’s use and application to soil. Such a scrupulous approach includes bystander and worker exposure; for example, retailer, farmer, homeowner, safety of food crops grown on land that has been treated with the product, impacts on animals and plants other than the target crop species, and ecosystem effects including impact on soil, biodiversity, leaching to waterways, etc.,” he elucidated.
As to him, all the applied efforts are focused on verifying that products satisfy the safety standards for biological and chemical contaminants such as pathogens, heavy metals, and pesticide residues, among others. “Apart from utilizing imported fertilizers, we have to equally attempt to use traditional nutrients–animal and plant manures, cow dung, plants decay and that would provide crops and plants with organic matters and natural fertilizing elements,” he explained.
In sum, the Ethiopian government’s efforts in supplying fertilizers involve a multi-faceted approach that combines infrastructure development, partnerships, and subsidy programs. By ensuring the availability of fertilizers, they aim to support farmers in increasing their production and productivity sustainably, thereby contributing to food security and economic growth in the country. The government is also expected to immensely help the farming community use fertilizers as they have been well witnessed as crucial in boosting agricultural production and productivity thereby registering better economic progress across the nation, which is a priceless boulevard to seize the ladder of success in all aspects.
BY MENGESHA AMARE
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD THURSDAY 10 AUGUST 2023
