Addis Ababa, November 19, 2024 (FBC) – Ethiopia has been maximizing a concerted effort to become one of the global leaders in the export of pulses and oilseeds, the Minister of Trade and Regional Integration, Kasahun Gofe confirmed.
The 13th International Pulses and Oilseeds Conference kicked off today and anticipated to be taken place from 19th to 20th November 2024 at Adwa Victory Memorial Museum, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
In his opening remarks, the Minister emphasized the vital role these crops play in generating export revenue and improving the livelihoods of millions of Ethiopian farmers.
“With a focus on diversification, infrastructure development, and improving product quality, Ethiopia is determined to solidify its position as a key player in the global pulses and oilseeds market while ensuring sustainable growth in the sector,” Kasahun stated.
The Minister further outlined key government reforms, including opening markets to foreign investors, adopting a market-driven exchange rate, and prioritizing agro-processing to add value and create jobs.
Ethiopia’s newly reformed agricultural policies are aimed at improving productivity, enhancing value chains, and expanding market access for farmers and producers.
Notably, the East African Nation has liberalized commodity exports, allowing foreign companies to purchase directly from Ethiopian farmers and processors.
This is considered as a policy shift designed to strengthen the export sector, particularly for oilseeds, pulses, hides, skins, and other critical products.
This is positive news for foreign business communities interested in trading and investing in Ethiopia, Minister Kasahun underscored.
He further elaborated that Ethiopia has already embarked on macroeconomic reforms to improve Foreign Exchange Management, marking the beginning of economic liberalization, demonstrating the government’s commitment to increasing the nation’s participation in global trade.
“We have a great deal of untapped potential that can be exported to the global market. So we are working with particular focus on export items, diversification and specialization,” the Minister noted.
This effort can be backed by utilizing and simplifying the trade system, improving the export goods with competitive quality and quantity for the sake of realizing this, trade policy, export development and promotion strategy and E-commerce strategy are being developed, he revealed.
Kasahun noted that this 13th International Conference on Pulses and Oilseeds would be a platform for concluding trade deals, sharing knowledge, and fostering international partnerships.