In the recently concluded fiscal year, Ethiopia exported 15,612 tons of spices, generating USD 14.94 million, according to the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA).

Moges Ashenafi, head of the Spice Development Desk at ECTA, stated that the country’s spices were shipped to India, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United States, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Kenya, Iraq, and Pakistan. He emphasized ongoing efforts to identify spices with high economic potential and to compile comprehensive data from each region.

Support and monitoring have been extended to a range of crops, including highland spices such as black cumin, white cumin, dill, and abash; rhizome crops like ginger, erd, pepper, coriander, kundoberbere, and cardamom; as well as medicinal and aromatic plants, including rosemary, fenugreek, bee balm, lemongrass, and kerkede.

To address challenges in quality and marketing, a spice quality and marketing guideline has been developed and implemented. A draft law to upgrade the guidelines to a formal proclamation has already been submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture.

In the 2024/25 fiscal year, Ethiopia harvested 1,210,600 tons of produce from 683,294 hectares dedicated to spice cultivation. For the current fiscal year, authorities aim to export 17,194 tons of spices, targeting earnings of USD 16.176 million. The spice development sector engaged over 2,268,984 people in the previous year.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency