Plans to export wheat to global market
ADDIS ABABA – Some 82 million quintals of wheat was produced in the summer irrigation program during the past nine months of the current Ethiopian fiscal year, the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) said.
Approached by the Ethiopian Press Agency (EPA), MoA Public Relations and Communication Executive Officer KebedeLakew stated that the country has been significantly increasing wheat production due to the summer irrigation program.
Ethiopia sets a plan to produce 120 million quintals of irrigated wheat in the current fiscal year and it has achieved more than 82 million quintals by covering three million hectares of land. In addition, the country has been focusing on irrigation farming in the autumn and spring seasons to increase wheat production and productivity,Kebede added.
The irrigated wheat is cultivated from 2.3 million hectares of land. Some 1.7 million hectares of land were harvested via traditional techniques;combiner harvested the remaining. Efforts are underway to harvest the remaining land and achieve the plan.
According to him, irrigated wheat development has a great role to improve wheat production and productivity and the country has been exerting employing water, soil and human capital to get better results.
Due to consolidated efforts, the government managed to overcome wheat supply challenges and attain the goal that it set to import substitution. In addition to satisfying the local demand, due attention has been given to export wheat to the global market.
Ethiopia’s summer irrigation wheat programms an important agricultural initiative that is aimed at increasing wheat production and productivity during the summer season. The country’s predominantly rain-fed agriculture faces challenges in meeting the growing demand for wheat due to limited rainfall and unpredictable weather patterns.
The launch of irrigation wheat production in Ethiopia is for food security, self-sufficiency and exporting goals, the officer elaborated.
BY TSEGAYE TILAHUN
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD SUNDAY EDITION 5 MAY 2024
