MIDROC Investment Group is set to build seven tea-processing factories in Oromia Regional State, part of a major push to boost domestic tea production and expand exports. CEO Jamal Ahmed said the conglomerate has already mobilised 1,000 farmers cultivating high-grade tea across 4,000 hectares in Jimma and Ilubabor zones. Around 20pc of the harvest is currently being exported, marking early efforts to position Ethiopia as a competitive tea exporter. Yet much of the region’s potential remains untapped. Over 150,000 farmers are still growing low-return maize, according to Jamal. In partnership with the Oromia Regional Government, MIDROC plans to scale tea cultivation to 30,000 hectares, offering farmers a more profitable alternative. “The shift to tea could significantly improve household incomes,” Jamal said, noting that MIDROC is providing seedlings, training, and other technical support to smallholders. The planned factories each within 20Km of cultivation zones are expected to absorb the growing output and streamline value addition. The initiative could bring 40,000 more farmers into Ethiopia’s tea value chain.