ADDIS ABABA — The summer rain that started earlier coupled with the good supply of agricultural input have raised hope for a good meher harvest in the country, according to Ministry of Agriculture.
Over 92 percent of required fertilizer is imported and on distribution despite shortage of improved seed, the Ministry said.
The country planned to produce 406 million quintals of crops from 13.5 million hectares of land in this harvest season.
Crop Development Director with the Ministry Esayas Lemma told The Ethiopian Herald that from the 13.5 million hectares prepared for the harvest season over 6.03 million hectare or 42.6 percent is already covered by crops.
It is expected to cover over 80 percent of the prepared land by crops up to the end of July.The available situations are suitable to attain the plan where the rain is good almost in all parts of the country, he stated.
In inputs provision, from 16 million quintals required fertilizer to the season, over 3 million quintal was reserved locally while 12 million quintal was purchased. From the purchased 92 percent is imported, 78 percent transported to local administrations and 58 percent is distributed to farmers, the director noted. Only less than 8 percent fertilizer is remained to import soon.
Meanwhile, the Ministry said there is no shortage of fertilizer in the country. But the problem lies on failure in distribution, transportation and warehousing for which a task force is established to rectify the distribution, he stated.
The government plans to produce fertilizer locally in the future, he said adding to address the interruption in the supply of fertilizer as of the next year, the Ministry has planned massive purchase that serves the demand for three years.
Related to improved seed, although the demand is beyond 1.5 million quintal, the country produced only 1.1 million quintals and from this only 890 thousand quintals passed the quarantine system. He said that the country imported over 6,000 quintal improved seed especially Maize
although improved seed is not a serious problem.
Aiming at productivity, the number of Woredas engaged in cluster farming under Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) increased from 198 to 300 and Ministry of Agriculture also take 150 woredas to implement cluster farming of crops, mainly wheat, barley, maize, teff and haricot bean. He stated that cluster farming experience in the 198 Woredas shows huge changes in productivity.
Ethiopia planned to earn 375 million quintal product and earned 314 million quintals in 2018 harvest season, it was learnt.
The Ethiopian Herald July 2/2019
BY DARGIE KAHSAY
