BY MESERET BEHAILU
ADDIS ABABA – Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) announced that the current summer (Winter in Eth.) wheat productivity through irrigation is going well, and is an indicator of the possibility of the realization of food security, import substitution, foreign exchange dependency avoidance.
As learnt from MoA’s official page, it was planned to cover 400,000 hectares of land with seeds and 404,000 hectares fully covered by seed, and some 16 million quintals is expected to produce.
MoA also stated that the summer wheat irrigation productivity in various parts of the country promising, in areas where previously experienced ones like South Nations Nationalities and People state (SNNPs) for instance 5,109 hector is covered with seeds, out of the planned to cover over 6,000 hectors and it is expected to produce 360,000 Quintal wheat products.
Wolayita Zone of SNNPs Humbo district Irrigation Association Chairperson Ampo Kosha Ela on his part said that the Association comprises 245 farmers embraced with clusters to run summer wheat irrigation.
As to the Chairperson, the farmers are engaged in maize productivity earlier and they did not have adequate benefit from it. However, after implemented the summer irrigation wheat productivity, they expect to 45 quintal up to 55 quintal of wheat produces per hectare.
Halaba zone Agriculture Head Hussien Roba on his part stated that the farmers have been benefiting through summer irrigated wheat productivity since they obtain fertilizer, spraying rust medicine, and the likes.
The Head also stated that the zone is carrying out irrigation successfully in water shortage areas as it is supported with generators to realize summer irrigated wheat productivity. The zone has also been carrying out different activities to make close ties between farmers and investors in a bid to solve product wastage. Oromia, Sidama, SNNPs, and Amhara states are carrying out irrigated summer wheat productivity and the activity will continue to expand in to other parts of the country to realize the ten year strategic plane of making food security and avoidance of foreign exchange a success, it was learned.
In the meantime, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ( PhD) said: “Since we embarked on irrigated summer wheat productivity by strengthening cluster farming approaches, our farmers have been harvesting greater yields that will continue to be supported through various efforts. Import substitution remains a target ahead.”
The March 8/2022
