In a bid to revamp the summer wheat irrigation across the country, over half a billion Birr worth of pumps were procured under the Ministry of Agriculture. Minister Girma Amente (PhD), announced the purchase of 12,617 pumps at the Ministry's headquarters around Gurd Shola last week. He revealed that 1,600 pumps have been distributed to regional states while the rest are expected to arrive from Djibouti ports. Girma urged regional agricultural bureaus to build up their efforts in distributing the pumps as the federal government laid out plans to see 810 million quintals of grain farmed from 22 million hectares of land this year. The Agriculture sector remains the highest employer in Ethioipa's labour market with around 75pc and contributes 80pc of exports while it accounts for 40pc of GDP. The reshuffle in the purchase of fertiliser this year saw 14.9 million quintals purchased already from the 19 million target. It is part of a spirited effort by the Ministry to vitalize the sector, which faces challenges in the form of drought and conflict in several parts of the country. Meles Mekonen, state minister for Agriculture, noted the wheat production last year as emblematic of the country's rich potential and long-term prospects of self-sufficiency.
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