Ethiopia’s Rice Production on the Rise: A Step Towards Food Security and Self-Sufficiency
Ethiopia, a country known for its agricultural prowess, is making significant strides in rice production, a crucial step towards achieving food security and self-sufficiency. The federal government’s commitment to summer irrigated wheat cultivation has led to international recognition, and now, the country is focusing on rice production to replace imported rice with domestic production.
According to the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency, the country has been exerting maximum effort to repeat the success story in wheat cultivation in rice production. Rice is being cultivated on thousands of hectares of land in various regions, with millions of quintals expected to be produced this year.
The Amhara State Agriculture Bureau has announced that 149,000 hectares of land are being cultivated with rice this Meher production season, a significant increase from last year’s 82,000 hectares. The bureau plans to implement a targeted approach to areas with potential for rice production that have not yet been utilized.
In the Somali region, rice cultivation has started, and the region is expected to harvest 31 million quintals of rice product this crop season. The region is expanding rice agriculture through time and has planned to harvest the product from 3,000 hectares of farmland.
The Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture has recognized the importance of rice, considering it as the "millennium crop" that is expected to ensure food security in the country. The government is committed to realizing the transformation of rice and edible oil by repeating the success story of wheat production.
The Director General at the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Institute, Firew Tegegn, emphasized the need for reinforcing the collaboration, dedication, and commitment of all stakeholders to realize Ethiopia’s ambition to self-sufficiency and expanding export trade.
The country’s climate and soil types are convenient for rice plantation, and pertinent bodies should pull out all the stops to ensure food security in the length and breadth of the country. The intensification of rice production plays a paramount role in taking the country to new heights at the earliest possible juncture.
In addition to ensuring nutritional security, producing rice in various regions of the country plays a huge role in saving foreign currency. The country should go to the ends of the earth to bring about self-sufficiency.
Ethiopia’s success story in wheat self-sufficiency will be repeated in the growing, important, and strategic rice crop in Ethiopia. The country is working with the plan to ensure food self-sufficiency, expand export trade, and realize import substitution on rice and edible oil as well.
As the country’s agricultural productions are making headway well in most parts of the country, it is essential that each and every one stands by the side of the government to make the dreams of the country a reality.
Key Points:
- Ethiopia is making significant strides in rice production to replace imported rice with domestic production.
- The country has been exerting maximum effort to repeat the success story in wheat cultivation in rice production.
- Rice is being cultivated on thousands of hectares of land in various regions, with millions of quintals expected to be produced this year.
- The Amhara State Agriculture Bureau has announced that 149,000 hectares of land are being cultivated with rice this Meher production season.
- The Somali region is expected to harvest 31 million quintals of rice product this crop season.
- The government is committed to realizing the transformation of rice and edible oil by repeating the success story of wheat production.
- The country’s climate and soil types are convenient for rice plantation, and pertinent bodies should pull out all the stops to ensure food security in the length and breadth of the country.