The Ministry of Agriculture has announced the launch of the Ethiopian Wheat Productivity Initiative in collaboration with the Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA). The initiative is intended to help increase yields and productivity in order to reduce Ethiopia’s reliance on imported crops.

The Ethiopian Wheat Productivity Initiative aims to increase the output of one million wheat farmers by at least 50%, eventually replacing all current wheat imports with domestic supply. This initiative is expected to save USD 250 million in related annual foreign exchange spending over the next 3 years according to ATA.

The Initiative includes a comprehensive extension ‘package’ designed to ensure that farmers have access to improved seeds and fertilizer, and increased awareness of agronomic best practices. The Initiative will also provide inputs distribution training for 450 primary cooperatives in wheat focused woredas, the creation of and access to agricultural implements such as row planters, threshers and harvesters, and the availability of input credit to approximately 100,000 farmers in the wheat cluster woredas.

Source: ATA