2merkato

Ethiopian exports from Ethiopia in the just ended financial year are 100,000 tones short of the projected exports according to an unofficial source.

The exports are below projection and lower than what the country exported last year although exports did show signs of increasing in the final two months of the concluded fiscal year noted experts.

The demand for coffee was reduced by the international economic meltdown that has affected major export destinations and the bumper harvest acquired by the world’s largest producer of coffee, Brazil.

Ethiopia is seeking to enhance fruit and vegetable exports into the European market with the help of the EDES food safety program.

A workshop to support the nation set up a food safety system up to international standards was held in Ethiopia with the aid of the EDES Program and administered by the Europe-Africa-Caribbean-Pacific Liaison Committee (COLEACP) in partnership with a group of European organizations working in food safety.

Efforts to ensure safe food exports from African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, which commenced in 2009, are now targeting the standard of Ethiopia’s production and the national capacity to enhance the country’s food exports to the European market.

Ethiopia has exported more than 154 tons of tantalum to the international market in just the last ten months according to the Ministry of Mines.

The tantalum exports earned an estimated 7 million US dollars in revenue said Bacha Fuji, Director of Public Relations with the Ministry.

The amount earned exceeds the amount raised during the same time in the previous financial year by 4 million US dollars according to Bacha.

Ethiopian flower exporters are considering entering the Russian flower market directly. Exporters were not able to access the large Russian market because Ethiopian Airlines does not offer flights to Moscow according to sources.

Currently Ethiopian flowers are exported to the Netherlands with the Netherlanders exporting to Russia under their own tag.

Ethiopian Airlines, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ethiopian Airlines are working to facilitate the processes to launch cargo flights to Moscow said Endashaw Yigezu, Head of Air Transport and Planning at a consultative meeting held by the Ethiopian Civil Aviation Authority.