Food self-sufficiency a path to preserve the country’s sovereignty beyond meeting basic needs: President Sahle-Work

Addis Ababa, December 7, 2022 (FBC) – Ensuring food self-sufficiency is one of the paths to maintain the country’s sovereignty and dignity beyond meeting the basic needs of citizens, said the FDRE President, Sahle-Work Zewde.

A national conference is being held on the efforts made and the results achieved so far in the agriculture sector, as well as the gaps in the process and the issues that need to be focused on in order to boost the sector in Ethiopia to a higher level.

The conference is being held under the theme of “shaping agriculture for better outcomes”.

At the opening of the conference, President Sahle-Work Zewde, Minister of Agriculture, Omer Hussein, representatives of international organizations and other senior government officials were present.

In her opening remarks at the event, President Sahle-Work stated that Ethiopia has 36 million hectares of land suitable for agricultural activities.

Out of this, only 13.4 million hectares of land has been cultivated, the President said.

She said that although aid provides temporary relief to deal with an urgent problem, it is difficult to avoid it if the experience of reliance on aid persists.

The President indicated that the dependency on food aid will be a habit as long as the nation does not ensure food self-sufficiency, eyes are open in search of alms, and hands are waiting for aid.

However, the country can preserve its dignity and sovereignty besides to meeting the basic needs if it ensures food self-sufficiency and feed citizens with the domestic grain, she said.

She mentioned that the growth of agricultural production and productivity has its own impact to the cognitive and physical development of every citizen, adding that a citizen with balanced diet will always be mentally and physically robust.