Farming preparation for upcoming main season is underway while 60 percent of wheat production cultivated during summer irrigation development activities has been harvested, Ministry of Agriculture disclosed.
In an exclusive interview with ENA, Agriculture Minister Girma Amente said total of 15 million quintal of fertilizer will be supplied for upcoming main cultivation season.
According to him, out of the total 15 million quintal of fertilizer 40 percent has been distributed meanwhile the rest is being transported.
The minister also said that efforts are also underway to distribute 1.5 million quintal of selected seeds as part of the preparation for the upcoming main cultivation season.
Girma further elaborated that the ministry has been making a number of efforts with a view to transforming the agricultural sector by utilizing the available technologies and farming methods as part of the effort to be food self sufficient.
In this regard, cluster farming method being implemented in the country is bearing fruits as it is helping to increase productivity, he added.
The land covered with cluster farming methods has now been progressed to 6.1 million hectares in five years, he mentioned.
Cluster farming has enabled farmers to harvest 35 quintal per hectare on average showing an increment of 4 quintal per hectare compared to the traditional way of farming, he added.
This farming method helps to ensure food security, substitute import and increase revenue by enabling crops agreeable with the ecology to grow in larger quantity and highest quality.
In addition to the farming method, the government has been improving the supply of inputs vital to boost agricultural productivity, the minister added.
According to him, the government has subsidized 36 billion Birr for both this year and the previous year farming seasons to enable farmers get inputs in a fair price, including fertilizer and seeds.
He further pointed out that duty free is allowed to import agricultural inputs to encourage mechanization, in which, more than 500 mechanization and irrigation equipment have been imported free of duty since last year.
Besides the efforts being made for farming preparations, 60 percent of the wheat production is collected, which was developed through summer irrigation program.
The country has been carrying out summer irrigation wheat development activities across the nation to harvest more than 52 quintal of wheat by developing 1.3 million hectares of farmland during the current fiscal year.
Source: Ethiopian News Agency