The Ethiopian Grain Trade Enterprise (EGTE) is planning to purchase 5.5 million quintals of wheat from domestic and international suppliers, Walta Information Center reported.

The purchase, estimated to cost the Enterprise nearly 4.6 billion Ethiopian birr is aimed at stabilizing the supply of wheat, Birhane Haile, general manager of the enterprise, told Walta Information Center.

EGTE supplied more than 5.1 quintals of wheat purchased at a cost of over 4.5 billion birr during the previous budget year.

The state owned enterprise is tasked with creation of domestic and export market for producers of cereals, pulses, oil seeds and coffee beans by opening purchase/sells channels in surplus producing and deficit areas in the country.

In the current fiscal year, the enterprise plans to spend another 2.4 billion birr to buy other types of agricultural products, including 195 thousand quintals of coffee at a cost of 1.2 billion birr, according to the general manager.

Source: Walta Information Center