Wide Business plc is set to establish an agro-commercial farm in the Southern Regional State of Ethiopia, under newly established Bura Agro Integrated company.
The conglomerate has invested about 25 million birr in integrated agro-commercial irrigation farming on 428 hectares and expects to launch cotton farming on a further 400 hectare plot of land said Seid Hassen, General Manager of the Wide.
The company also anticipates investing in horticulture farming on 28 hectares of land he added.
Wide has used 10 million of the money it had allocated for land and plans to begin planting next year.The cotton farm is expected to yield 30 quintals of cotton per hectare annually, resulting in a total production of 12,000 quintals and an estimated return of 54 million birr in sales.
The cotton produced will be marked for cotton and textile factories around the country.
Wide Business hopes to acquire a further 1100 hectares in the same region to grow vegetables according to Seid.
The vegetable farm could produce as much as 1000 quintals of tomatoes and 800 quintals of onion per hectare.
The company has leased a 5000 m2 plot of land in Hawassa for the purpose of establishing a base for agro industrial processing.
The factory will be able to use agro products and by products to produce oil, cattle feed, and fertilizer.
Wide business also plans to engage in commercial fish farming at the Gidabo River close to the land it has leased according to Seid.
Source: Capital
