FORTUNE+ VIDEO SPONSORED CONTENTS ADVERTORIALS FORTUNE AUDIO Fortune Careers New TRADE AFRICA New

Fortune Logo
Eco Green Organic Liquid Fertiliser Producing PLC began production of organic liquid fertiliser on October 20, 2018 in Arsi, Oromia Regional State, in a ceremony organised by Eco Green, the Oromia Bureau of Agriculture and GIZ’s Green Innovation Centre program.

Eco Green Organic Liquid Fertiliser Producing PLC began production of organic liquid fertiliser on October 20, 2018 in Arsi, Oromia Regional State, in a ceremony organised by Eco Green, the Oromia Bureau of Agriculture and GIZ’s Green Innovation Centre program.

The company, founded in 2007 by Kebede Lakew as a research centre, sells organic liquid fertiliser in two-litre to 200-litre containers. The company has been providing training to farmers on how to use the fertiliser made from plant and animal wast products converted to liquid forms.

“It took us more than eight years to research and develop the product,” Kebede, winner of the 2015 UNDP Entrepreneur of the Year Award, said.



Eco Green collects and buys organic waste from nearby farmers and transforms them into liquid fertiliser through a fermentation process.


While organic fertilisers are generally preferred over chemical fertilisers for environmental concerns, liquid fertilisers add additional advantages, according to Kebede.

“It helps in controlling growth, has less effect on soil health and is easily absorbed by plants,” he said.




Initially, the company started by producing small quantities for free trial samples to smallholder farmers in Amhara and Oromia regional states. Now the company is growing its customer base and has vegetable, flower and fruit commercial farms as its clients.

Last year, Eco Green, a firm established with an initial capital of 13 million Br, produced about 300,000L of the product, most of which were produced as samples given away as promotional items for free. With a potential to produce 1.9 million litres annually, the company plans to produce a million litres this year.


Eco Green’s main plant is located in the Amhara Regional State, in the North Shoa Zone, about 60Km from Addis Abeba. Lying on a nine-hectare plot, the company's factory has 35 full-time and 50 part-time employees.

“Since public awareness of organic liquid fertilisers is still undeveloped, we are facing challenges selling the product,” Kebede said. “We are looking for partners to expand.”

One partner is Gonder Agricultural Research Centre, which is currently studying the product. Another is GIZ Ethiopia, which is working with Eco Green to offer small-holder farmers inputs such as environmentally-friendly liquid fertilisers under its Green Innovation Centre program.

The program, launched for a total of 560 million Br plans to reach 70,000 small-holder farmers.


Solomon Andualem (PhD), a lecturer at Bahir Dar University’s College of Agriculture & Environmental Sciences, hails the initiative. He points out that it will have benefits in avoiding the side effects of chemical fertilisers currently in use in Ethiopia.

“Urea and Dap contain high levels of heavy metals such as lead that cause severe health issues,” he said. “It will also have the potential to save the country foreign currency it spends to import fertilisers.”

The nation imports seven types of fertilisers, with 1.2 million tonnes having been imported in the 2016/17 fiscal year. Almost half a billion dollars were spent on fertiliser imports in 2016.


PUBLISHED ON [ VOL 19 , NO 968]

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 2 / 5. Vote count: 3

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.



Related Posts

Editors' Pick

Exclusive Interviews

State Enterprises from Oracles to Apprentices

Dec 22 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitiv...

Agenda

Rising Costs, Inflation Threaten Insurance Industry

Aug 18 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Although predictable Yonas Zerihun's job in the ride-hailing service is not immune to...

Agenda

BREWING DISCONTENT

Jul 28 , 2024 . By TIZITA SHEWAFERAW

Unhabitual, perhaps too many, Samuel Gebreyohannes, 38, used to occasionally enjoy a couple of beers at breakfast. However, he recently swit...

Fortune News

Electric Vehicle Push Leaves Investors in the Lurch

Jul 13 , 2024 . By AKSAH ITALO

Investors who rely on tractors, trucks, and field vehicles for commuting, transporting commodities, and f...

Commentaries

Fossil Fuels Arent Going Anywhere Despite Great Energy Transition Myth

Ideas and the words we use to frame them matter. For example, as the Cold War wound d...

Conflicts Upend Growth Story, Plunging Development Goals into Jeopardy

Once regarded as a rising economic star on the African continent, Ethiopia now finds...

Fineline

Leaders of the National . . .

Leaders of the National Election Board are in a charm offensive mood, of a sort. Last week, they organised a rare tour for members of the me...

When the country’s most. . .

When the country's most senior diplomats and envoys return back to their posts after two-week debriefings, they leave behind a point or two...

Editorial

Addis Abeba's Gleaming Facade Masks a Parched Metropolis

Dec 21 , 2024

The main avenues and thoroughfares of Addis Abeba have undergone an impressive faceli...

When More of Everything Leaves Less in the Bank

Dec 14 , 2024

Ethiopia's monetary policy has shifted conspicuously in recent years. Gone is the era...

Fueling Reform, the Petroleum Sector Caught Between Monopoly Missteps, Market Liberalisation

Dec 7 , 2024

For decades the Ethiopian Petroleum Supply Enterprise (EPSE), a state-owned giant ent...

Crafting Public Service Reward in a Cash-Strapped Economy

Nov 30 , 2024

In the corridors of government offices worldwide, the question of how much to pay mem...

Gallery

Parliament Approves New Cabinet Members

Oct 6 , 2021

Parliament Approves New Cabinet, Incorporates Opposition Leaders Lawmakers have approved today the nominations of 22 ministers, including three opposition leaders. Two MPs have voted against, while 12 abstained...

2020 in Posterity

Jan 5 , 2021

TIGRAY VOTES DESPITE "NULL & VOID" THREAT

Sep 9 , 2020

IN-PICTURE: LAUREATE'S RECEPTION  

Dec 14 , 2019

PM Abiy Ahmed (PhD) at a Gala Dinner Called for the Awarding of the Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize

May 6 , 2019

Faces, Voices of Addis Abeba

Apr 26 , 2019

Sunday With Eden

Overcoming Emotional Impulses in Decision-Making

Have you ever made a split-second decision and later wondered, "What was I thinking?...

The Daily Struggles of Power Outages, Water Shortages

Addis Abeba was eerily silent over the past weekend, shrouded in darkness. The blacko...

Life Matters

Inadequate Regulation Leaves Tenants Vulnerable to Arbitrary Rental Hikes

The rental market in Ethiopia, like in many developing economies, is characterised by...

Lasting Treatments Instead of Temporary Relief

I have always avoided taking pills unless absolutely necessary: when I am genuinely u...