The Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) introduced five agricultural items to its trading floor last week. The addition of black pepper, fenugreek, black cumin seeds, Indian peas, and coriander brings the commodities traded at the Exchange to 16. The Exchange's officials say the move will improve the production and marketing systems associated with the spice trade and reduce high transaction costs brought on by the heavy involvement of intermediaries. More than half a million smallholder farmers cultivate spices on an average holding of less than half a hectare, producing over 240,000tn of 50 varieties of spices each year. The majority of the production comes from the Oromia and Amhara regional states.
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