Gambella region has fertile soil, sufficient rainfall, underground and surface water resources that can be used for agricultural development. It is believed that effective work can be done by expanding agriculture by using the potential natural resources of the region. It is known that the Olwero Dam was built to carry out extensive irrigation development, although it was not used as intended. Currently, the State government is working to make more use of the potential resources that can be used for agriculture. A road map study of agricultural transformation to increase its production and productivity thereby ensuring benefit of the society was announced recently.
The Agricultural Transformation Roadmap Study has started its action plan; it will be implemented from the scheduled 2023/24 fiscal year. Ujulu Lual, head of the regional agriculture and natural resources office, announced that according to the road map, attention will be given to increasing production and productivity in the region, ensuring food security, changing the lives of farmers and pastoralists and producing export products.
As he said, the roadmap was started at the presence of relevant federal and zonal leaders, investors and non-governmental organizations. Many results are expected from this agricultural transformation roadmap, which is designed to benefit the farmers and semi-pastoralists by modernizing the agricultural work.
Ujulu pointed out that in the roadmap, they will focus on the types of products that can increase the country’s economy in the next five years. The work that starts with selected types of products requires a lot of cooperation to hit the expected results. It is possible to gradually move to other products, increase production and productivity, ensure food security and increase the country’s economy by focusing on exports and bringing in foreign currency.
As the region is suitable for agriculture, the roadmap will focus on ten products. Maize, rice, soybeans, and summer irrigation wheat, are among the crops grown in the roadmap. Among fruits: mangoes and bananas, and from animal products: milk production, cattle, fish, goat, chicken and bee breeding are given attention.
He stated that in the past, in a general study on the use of natural resources in Gambella region, small and large farm areas that are suitable for agricultural investment have been identified. He added that parks for tourism have also been identified.
He mentioned that there are four large rivers in the region that are used for irrigation, and forest products for industry are widely available. The region has potential of mineral resources as well, especially gold is widely available in the area.
“The agricultural transformation roadmap that will be implemented for the next five years will be based on these potential resources in the region,” Ujulu said. The agricultural transformation roadmap work goes alongside the regular agricultural work in the region.
According to the roadmap, Ujulu mentioned that it has a great role in changing the lives of the farmers by avoiding the harmful traditional attitudes in the region. It is common in the region to produce a small amount of crops and lead a hand-to-mouth life. The roadmap will eliminate this habit and create a strong work culture and saving habit. In this way, it will be possible for the farmers to produce on a large scale and earn income by selling the product beyond food consumption.
Ujulu further stated that by practicing the unusual work and saving culture, especially the competition on the selected ten types of products can bring the farmers to become investors. It is useful for them to develop the habit of saving and expanding their agricultural business gradually to become investors.
In addition, the farmers will be encouraged to produce export products in a large scale by coordinating with the investors. To this end, 766 investors have been invited to the region’s agricultural transformation roadmap launch program. They can work by creating links with the farmers. This will greatly contribute to the improvement of the farmers’ life and the efficiency of the agricultural work.
Ujulu said that effective work can be done through the bond that the investor creates with the farmers. This has been set as a direction; especially potential investors who are expected to help the nearby kebeles and connect the farmers’ lives with the agricultural roadmap.
The farmers in the region grow only corn and sorghum on the small plot of land they have. Although the farmers have a high demand for these products, the demand for sorghum production has decreased due to the problem of the crop destroying birds.
At present, investors in the region are producing soybeans, rice, sugarcane, etc. on vast farmlands. As most of the people of the region are semi-pastoralists, it is possible to increase the country’s economy by paying attention to animal husbandry. There are a lot of fish resources in the region. There are 19 species of fish. The harvest work is now over and the agricultural work that is done when the river’s level is decreasing in the region is a water runoff work. He also stated that it is planned to cover 37 hectares of land with seeds through water runoff agriculture.
It is planned to cover 6,500 hectares of irrigated agriculture in the current fiscal year alone. With this, it is planned to carry out the cultivation of corn, sorghum, rice, vegetables and fruits, including wheat, and preparatory work is being done. He mentioned that the summer irrigation work has been started in the rainless areas and 827,000 quintals of production is expected from the scheme. 1.2 million quintals of production is also expected from the water runoff farms.
Agricultural technology is very important for better production and productivity. To this end, the government has provided 16 tractors for irrigation to the region. The region has limited capacity and said that the current supply of mechanization is insufficient. He called on both the Federal and State governments to strengthen their support and monitoring.
As to Ujulu, there are gaps in post-harvest mechanization technologies in the region. Farmers are facing problems as they are unable to harvest their hard-earned crops. As a result, the produce is wasted and the farmers are left without food.
For example, he explained about the existence of a weed in the area called “Don’t touch me’’. The weed does not allow the farmers to enter the field and collect the produce. Because of this, most of the produce is left rotten on the field. Therefore, post-harvest technologies for corn, rice and sorghum breeding are necessary.
Ujulu said that every stakeholder, including the leadership, professionals and the community should work with determination so that Gambella region’s agricultural transformation road map, which has been put into operation at the moment, is implemented according to the study and the desired results will be recorded. In particular, he stressed that the leadership should strengthen the agricultural extensions and stimulate the people of the region to work. The experts of the development team have also asked them to make greater efforts to make poverty a history by providing support and monitoring to the farmers and ensuring food security.
Minister of Agriculture, Girma Amente (PhD), who attended the launching program of the roadmap to modernize agriculture in Gambella region, said; The Agricultural Transformation Roadmap focuses on applying research into action and changing the lives of farmers and semi-pastoralists.
The Minister announced about diligent work to ensure food security by converting the potential natural resources that can be used for agricultural development in the region into development. According to him, although the region has natural resources suitable for agricultural development, the people have been conducting from hand-to-mouth agriculture. The area could not ensure its food security. Therefore, he confirmed that the Ministry of Agriculture will provide the necessary support to modernize the agricultural sector and use the potential resources of the region to contribute to the country’s economy.
The Minister mentioned that the State government is working together with the stakeholders. He also requested that the support of the stakeholders for the efforts to bring about productive change with the help of modern technology and new practices in the agricultural sector should be strengthened. He also called on the leadership, the people and all actors in the sector to do what is expected of them in the fight to make the plan for the 2023/24 fiscal year, which is part of the road map, a success.
BY BACHA ZEWDIE
The Ethiopian Herald November 26/2023
