Over 53 million quintals of crops harvested in the past two weeks – Ministry
Addis Ababa, November 28, 2024 (FBC) – Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) today revealed that some 53 million quintals of crops harvested in the past two weeks across the country.
Commenting on the ongoing crop harvesting activities, Mr. Isayas Lemma, the Head of Crop Development Department at the Ministry of Agriculture, said over 607 million quintals of different food crops are expected to be harvested during this year’s harvesting season.
He emphasized the imperative of implementing precautionary measures to reduce post-harvest losses and carefully collect and store the harvested crops.
In that regard, Mr. Isayas pointed out mechanisms to prevent or reduce post-harvest losses, such as harvesting grain crops from the fields on time by using modern agricultural technology, storing the grains at a proper moment, and storing the grains in the granary when they reach the appropriate moisture level.
Using grain storage facilities that can reduce barn pests, storing newly harvested and old grain separately, proper cleaning of barns and grain storage facilities, and proper use of pesticides are also other techniques to avoid post-harvest losses, according to the official.
He also underlined the importance of harvesting the remaining ripe crops on time and carefully storing them in the barn to avoid post-harvest losses that may occur due to potential unseasonal rain.
Reforms and national initiatives implemented in agriculture in the past few years by the government have significantly transformed the sector throughout Ethiopia in a bid to realize food sovereignty, including the strides made in production of irrigated wheat, rice, barley, teff, and other food crops.
In his most recent speech at the parliament regarding the federal government performance and upcoming priorities for the current fiscal year, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has indicated that the agriculture sector is expected to record 6.1 percent growth during 2024/25 FY, of which crop production and Bounty of the Basket initiative are expected to record a 6.6 and 5.1 percent growth, respectively.
According to him, more than 8.2 million hectares of land will be covered with wheat and it is expected that at least 300 million quintals (30 thousand tons) of wheat crop will be harvested.
Meanwhile, in his latest message on the 5th anniversary of the ruling political party in Ethiopia Prosperity Party, Prime Minister Abiy claimed that the reforms implemented in the agriculture sector to ensure food sovereignty have brought about tremendous results and work culture. The rainfed agricultural system has been transformed into a culture of year-round production with the adoption of irrigation system, cluster farming on all arable lands. Mentioning the results achieved in wheat, rice, barley, maize and fruit products, Abiy asserted that Ethiopia has become the leading wheat producer in Africa by successfully substituting wheat. “Our export production in the vegetable and fruit sectors has also increased,” he noted.
Through the Bounty of the Basket initiative, efforts have been made to ensure that milk, chicken and honey products are available on every family’s basket. As a result, chicken meat production has increased from 70 thousand tons to 208 thousand tons; milk production from 7.2 billion liters to 10. billion liters. Honey production has also increased from 129 thousand tons to 272 thousand tons.
Having doubled Ethiopia’s cultivated land and reaped the benefits of high-value crops under the leadership of PM Abiy Ahmed, some parts of the country renowned for pastoralism activities have embarked on crop cultivation in the past few years owing to recent climate-smart policy reforms and initiatives.
Pastoralist areas in Afar and Somali regional states have started mass cultivation of irrigated wheat, rice, teff, and other crops for the first time in cluster farming system.