ADDIS ABABA —Mokoni Agriculture Research Center has announced that it has discovered crop types which could thrive in swampy and drought-prone areas of the state.
The center has deployed 40 researchers to farmers’ land to conduct the study, which is successful in revealing easily harvested, disease resistant and productive specialized crop types including maize, sesame, teff, sorghum, Birhanu Hailu, Center’s Natural Resources Research Team Leader told the Ethiopian Herald.
‘‘So far, 30 to 50 quintal maize per hectare was produced in marshy areas after being experimented in laboratories. Teff varieties, with the scientific names as meko, kora and dukem have produced 20 quintal per hectare. Nitrogen, phosphorus, zinc,iron and sulfur rich fertilizers was used in the aforementioned hectare of land,’’ he stated. Birhanu added that specialized crops would be distributed to various parts of the state and produce and productivity will be expected to be boosted highly.
‘‘We have planned to scale up the specialization to other cereals. Moreover, we will distribute the specailized crops to other droughtprone areas of the state. This would boost production and ensures food sufficiency,’’ he underscored. Agriculture Expert in Raya Azebo Woreda, Mehari Haile for his part said that the awareness of the people towards using fertilizer and specialized crops is increasing from time to time and this has paved a way for improving livelihoods.
‘‘There is tremendous change in the life of farmers. They are producing huge amount of harvest from their plot of land. They are educating their children without difficulty. Besides, they have developed a culture of using specialized crop types and modern machineries,’’ the expert pointed out. Since desertification and deforestation is becoming a series danger in Tigray, the state government has been mobilizing the people to work in water and soil conservation over the last two decades and fruitful results were registered, it was learned
Herald December 23/2018
BY TSEGAY HAGOS
