Editorial | Aug 17,2019
Jul 10 , 2020
By HENOK TERECHA ( FORTUNE STAFF WRITER )
The Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research has begun working with farmers across regional states on large-scale rice production aiming to reduce its import.
With the project, a total of 4,500 farmers from Amhara, Oromia, Benishangul Gumuz, Southern Nations, Nationalities & Peoples', Gambela and Tigray regional states have planted 1,123ha of rice, which is expected to be ready for market within four months.
Farmers in Oromia Regional State have fully completed cultivating their land, while farmers from Tigray and Gambela regional states will start cultivation this coming week. Farmers from Amhara Regional State mainly around Lake Tana have completed 90pc of the seeding process.
Before launching the project, the Institute piloted the programme across all the regional states on small-scale farmlands, according to Mulugeta Atnaf (PhD), senior researcher of crop breeding & genetics and coordinator at the National Rice Research Programme of the Institute.
The project is part of a strategic plan aimed at replacing the import of rice in the coming five years. Before revising the strategic plan, the Institute has been working on a 10-year document.
"The five-year strategic plan was designed after the global outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) that made the import of the product very difficult," according to Mulugeta.
Local rice production only covers 20pc of the total demand. Out of total rice imports, 95pc is shipped from India.
The government plans to have national production of rice cover total consumption in the coming five years. In doing so, the country can save 200 to 300 million dollars that is currently spent to import rice on a yearly basis.
In the 2017/18 fiscal year, a total area of 53,106ha was covered with rice. That coverage area grew to 63,361ha in the last fiscal year, while the yield has also increased by 14pc to 1.2 million quintals. Amhara Regional State currently produces nearly all of Ethiopia's rice, harvesting 1.19 million quintals of rice from 41,700ha of land that was harvested by 114,000 farmers in the most recent fiscal year.
Fogerea National Rice Research & Training Centre, which is located in the area where rice production is highest, is focused on the rice seedling, according to Abebaw Assaye, agricultural economics research process coordinator of the Centre.
Farmers used to think that harvesting the rice on a small scale is easy and better to manage, according to Mulugeta.
"But now we're showing and promoting the large-scale demonstrations and explaining how large-scale farming with modern technologies will benefit them," he said. "We're giving them training."
The country is endowed with water and land resources that are suitable to rice production, according to Mulatu Wakgari (PhD), head of the School of Plant Science at Haramaya University.
"Using these resources, the country can produce rice that can even be exported after satisfying the local demand," said Mulatu, adding the contribution of large-scale farming to achieve this target.
However, to achieve this level of productivity, Mulatu recommended the sector be led by well-educated professionals.
PUBLISHED ON
Jul 10,2020 [ VOL
21 , NO
1054]
Editorial | Aug 17,2019
Fortune News | Apr 04,2020
Fortune News | Jun 01,2019
Commentaries | Jun 29,2019
Fortune News | Mar 19,2020
Radar | Jan 29,2022
Sunday with Eden | Mar 20,2021
Fortune News | May 23,2020
Viewpoints | Feb 13,2021
Editorial | Jan 13,2024
Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transportin...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By MUNIR SHEMSU
The cracks in Ethiopia's higher education system were laid bare during a synthesis re...
Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO
Construction authorities have unveiled a price adjustment implementation manual for s...
Nov 16 , 2024
In the realm of public finance, balance sheets speak louder than rhetoric. In such do...
Nov 9 , 2024
Ethiopia's foreign exchange debacle resembles a tangled web of contradictions and con...
Nov 2 , 2024
Addis Abeba, fondly dubbed a 'New Flower,' is wilting under the weight of unchecked u...
Oct 26 , 2024
When flames devoured parts of Mercato, residents watched helplessly as decades of toi...
Loading your updates...