Seven farmer's cooperatives from Oromia Regional State have supplied 20,000ql of durum wheat, worth 19 million birr to Dire Dawa Food Complex and Kaliti Food SC. The cooperative have been retained to supply 3000ql for the next farming season.

The wheat supplied has been grown as part of the ‘Agricultural Value Chains in Oromia’ project, under the Ethio-Italian Development Cooperation, which focuses on durum wheat and wild coffee developments in Oromia. The farmers have retained 3,000ql for the next farming season.

The Agricultural Value Chains in Oromia project, is supported by 1.7 million Br financing from the Italian government,aiming at linking local farmers with private sector.

“The current sale confirms that the project is able to connect local farmers with the private sector and strengthen their links,” said Lucia de Troia, representative of the Italian Development Cooperation.

“The project is showing that the on-going importation of hundreds of thousands of quintals of hard wheat from abroad should be substituted by national products,” said de Troia.

In the 2012 fiscal year, Ethiopia imported 472,147tn of durum wheat, at a cost of 174.6 million dollars. The project which plans to produce 60,000ql of durum wheat in the coming farming season.

Source: Fortune