In a bid to achieve self-sufficiency in Wheat production, Ethiopia started to implement the Wheat Production Initiative four years ago. The efforts have started paying off.
In a bid to achieve self-sufficiency in Wheat production, Ethiopia started to implement the Wheat Production Initiative four years ago. The efforts have started paying off.
Agriculture State Minister Meles Mekonnen disclosed that Ethiopia is expecting a record wheat harvest of 160 million quintals by early July 2023.
Ethiopia spends heavily on imports of wheat. The country spends between 700 million and a billion USD every year for the purchase of wheat from the international market. The harvest is expected to bring relief to the country.
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The Agriculture State Minister also informed that about 108 million quintals of wheat from the last rainy season are under harvesting stage in many areas which will cover the needs of Ethiopia, which is about 97 million quintals annually. Additionally, efforts are underway to produce over 52 million quintals of wheat with irrigation by July 2023. About 1.3 million hectares of land will be brought under wheat cultivation in 9 regional states. Last Ethiopian year, the country produced over 24 million quintals of wheat.
Agricultural experts are of the view that Ethiopia has the potential to be a top wheat producer in Africa by expanding production to the arid and semi-arid lowlands through irrigation. The lowland areas of Ethiopia have vast unutilized agricultural land endowed with many lakes and seasonal and perennial rivers. Almost 43 percent of the Ethiopian land mass is covered by acidic soils that are suitable for wheat production, according to Agriculture scientists.
