Addis ababa: The Ministry of Agriculture has announced a significant achievement in its 2016/17 crop year, reporting a total of 290 million quintals of wheat produced through extensive winter and summer irrigation. Minister of Agriculture, Girma Amente emphasized this success as a testament to Ethiopia's broader strategy to boost domestic production, reduce reliance on imports, and ultimately achieve food self-sufficiency.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, significant progress has been made, especially in wheat production, following the launch of the National Wheat Initiative by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. The minister emphasized that the strategy to expand irrigated wheat farming, reducing dependency on rainfall, has been instrumental in boosting output, and stated that the current year's production shows an increase of 60 million quintals compared to the previous season.
In the 2017 production season alone, 3.5 million hectares of land were cultivated, yielding 140 million quintals of wheat, a clear indication of the impact of the government's focused irrigation efforts. The Minister also pointed to notable progress in replacing imported products with domestic alternatives; for instance, the country, which previously relied on imports for malting barley, now produces sufficient quantities locally.
Rice cultivation has also seen a dramatic expansion, he said, adding that while rice was grown on only 300,000 hectares three years ago, it is now cultivated on 1.5 million hectares, producing 63 million quintals. The minister also affirmed that further efforts will be made to improve rice productivity and achieve full self-sufficiency.
In addition, oilseed production is on the rise, and agro-processing industries are showing promising results in substituting imports with locally processed goods. The Minister concluded by stressing the importance of maximizing the potential of regional resources and promoting public participation in agricultural development. He also cited encouraging results in urban agriculture, noting that a shift in mindset is contributing to Ethiopia's transformation toward food self-reliance.