የማኅበሩ ስልታዊ ጅማሮ፡ ኢትዮጵያን በኢንዱስትሪው ከላቲን አሜሪካኖቹ ተርታ

በዓለም እጅግ ተወዳጁ ፍሬ
ሀብሀብን እና አፕልን በሁለተኝነትና ሦስተኝነት ደረጃ አስከትሎ ሙዝ በዓለማችን እጅግ ከፍተኛ በሆነ መጠን በፍጆታነት የሚውል የፍራፍሬ ዓይነት ነው። በዚህም የተነሳ ሙዝ በዓለም እጅግ ተወዳጁ ፍሬ (World’s Favorite Fruit) በመባል ይታወቃል።

በተስማሚ ቦታና የአየር ንብረት በተለይ በኢንዱስትሪው በመጠቁ ሀገራት ዓመቱን ሙሉ በብዛትና በጥራት ሊመረት በመቻሉ፤ ለሰውነትና ለጤና በሚጠቅሙ ንጥረ ነገሮች የዳበረና ዋጋውም ተመጣጣኝ በመሆኑ ሙዝን በዓለም ለምግብ ፍጆታነት ከሚውሉ ፍራፍሬዎች የቀዳሚነትን ስፍራ እንዲይዝ አስችሎታል። ተአማኒ መረጃዎች እንደሚያመለክቱት በዓለማችን የሙዝ ምርት ፍጆታ 136 ሚሊዮን ቶንን ዘሏል።

ዓለም አቀፍ የሙዝ ምርትና ንግድ
ሙዝን እጅግ ከፍተኛ በሆነ መጠን የምታመርተው የዓለም ቀዳሚ ሀገር ሕንድ በዓመት ከ31 እስከ 35 ሚሊዮን ቶን የሚደርስ ምርት በማምረት ሙሉ ለሙሉ በሚባል ደረጃ ለሀገር ውስጥ ፍጆታ ታውለዋለች። በምርቱ በሁለተኝነት ደረጃ የምትቀመጠው እስያዊዋ ሀገር ቻይና በዓመት እስከ 12 ሚሊዮን ቶን የሚደርሰውን የሙዝ ምርቷን ልክ እንደ ሕንድ በሀገር ውስጥ ታስቀረዋለች።

የአህጉራችንን ሀገር ናይጄሪያን ጨምሮ ሌሎች እንደነ ኤንዶኔዥያና ብራዚል ያሉ ሀገራትም እያንዳንዳቸው ከ7 እስከ 10 ሚሊዮን ቶን በሚደርስ የምርት መጠን በሙዝ የዓለም ካርታ ላይ ደምቀው ይገኛሉ።

ከላይ የተጠቀሱት ግዙፍ የሙዝ አምራቾች በአንድ ጎራ ሳሉ ከዚህ ተወዳጅ ፍሬ የወጪ ንግድ ከፍተኛ የሆነ የውጪ ረብጣ የሚሰበስቡት ሀገራት በሌላ ጎራ በብዛት በላቲን አሜሪካና በካሪቢያን ተሰባስበው ይገኛሉ። ከእነዚህም ውስጥ ኤኳዶር፥ ኮስታሪካ፥ ሆንዱራስ፥ ጓቲማላ እና ኮሎምቢያ ተጠቃሽ ሲሆኑ በሌላ በኩል ፊሊጲስ በደቡብ-ምሥራቅ እስያ ፈንጠር ብላ ከጎራው ትሰለፋለች። ከእነዚህም መካከል በሙዝ ወጪ ንግድ ቀዳሚ ሀገር ኤኳዶር በዓመት 6̇.8 ሚሊዮን ቶን ምርት ወደ ውጪ በመላክ ከ 3.5 ቢሊዮን በላይ የአሜሪካ ዶላር ገቢ ታደርጋለች።

እንደ ኮሎምቢያና ጓቲማላ ያሉ የዚሁ አካባቢ ሀገራት ከዓለምአቀፍ የሙዝ ምርት ንግድ በቢሊዮን የሚቆጠር የውጪ ምንዛሪን ገቢ ያደርጋሉ።

ለዓለምአቀፍ ገበያ የሚቀርበው የሙዝ መጠን ከ22 ሚሊዮን ቶን በላይ ሲሆን፤ በዚህ የዓለም ገበያ በብዛት የሚነገደው የሙዝ ዝርያ ወይም ዓይነት ደግሞ ካቬንዲሽ (Cavendish) የሚባለው ምርት ነው። በስፋት በኢትዮጵያ የሚመረተው ይህ ዝርያ መሆኑን ልብ ይሏል።

ከሙዝ ወጪ ንግድ በከፍተኛ ደረጃ ተጠቃሚ የመሆን አካሄድ
ዓለምአቀፍ ደረጃውን የጠበቀ ሙዝ ወደ ውጪ በመላክ ከፍተኛ የሆነ የውጪ ምንዛሪ የሚያገኙ የላቲን አሜሪካ ሀገራት እንዴት ከዚህ ተወዳጅ ፍሬ በከፍተኛ ደረጃ ተጠቃሚ ሊሆኑ ቻሉ? ምን ምን መልካም አጋጣሚዎችና አስቻይ ሁኔታዎች አሏቸው? በምርቱ ወደ ላቀ ስኬት ለመድረስ ትኩረታቸውን በምን በምን ጉዳዮች ላይ አድርገው ሠሩ? እየሠሩ ይገኛሉ? የመሳሰሉት ጥያቄዎች በሙዝ እሴት ከፍተኛ እምቅ አቅም ያላቸውና ተጠቃሚነታቸውን በእጅጉ ማላቅ የሚችሉ ሀገራት ሊጠይቋቸው የሚገቡ፤ ስኬታማ ተሞክሮን ለመውሰድ የሚያስችሉ መልሶችን የሚያገኙባቸው ጥያቄዎች ናቸው።

ለሰብሉ ተስማሚ የሆኑ ሞቃታማ የአየር ንብረት፥ አፈር፥ ውሃ፥ የሰው ኃይል ወጪን ጨምሮ አዋጭ ኢኮኖሚያዊ ሁኔታ፥ ለዘመነ የግብርና አሠራርና ቴክኖሎጂ የሚውል መዋለ-ንዋይ (ገንዘብ)፥ ጂኦግራፊያዊ አቀማመጥ፥ የምርቱን ወጪ ንግድ የሚያሳልጡ ሎጂስቲክስ፥ ትራንስፖርት፥ ዓለምአቀፍ ደረጃዎችን በተለይ አዋጭ የሆኑ የገበያ መዳረሻዎች የጥራት መስፈርቶችን ማሟላት፥ ኢንዱስትሪውን በሳይንሳዊ መንገድ ለማልማት የሚያስችል ጠንከር ያለ የምርምር ሥርዓት፥ የተሻሻሉ ዝርያዎችን ለማውጣት የሚያስችል የምርምርና የማዘጋጃ ቴክኖሎጂ/ቤተ-ሙከራ (Tissue Culture Technology)፥ ከገዢዎች ጋር የሚፈጠር መልካምና ጠንካራ የንግድ ስምምነትና ግንኙነት እንዲሁም አመቺ የሆነ የኢንቨስተመንትና የንግድ ሥርዓት መኖር እነዚህ ሀገራትን በሙዝ ኢንዱሰትሪ ለበርካታ ዜጎች ሥራን እንዲፈጥሩና ከምርቱ ወጪ ንግድ በከፍተኛ ደረጃ ተጠቃሚ እንዲሆኑ አስችለዋቸዋል።

የማኅበሩ አመላካች የሆነ ስልታዊ ጅማሮ
ኢትዮጵያ ጥራት ያለውን ሙዝ በከፍተኛ መጠን ለማምረት በሚያስችሉ የተፈጥሮ ሀብቶች የታደለች ሀገር ናት። ከዚህም በተጨማሪ እጅግ በዘመነ አሠራርና ቴክኖሎጂ ምርቱን በጥራትና በብዛት በማምረት ላይ የተሰማሩ እንደ ፍሪኤል ያሉ ሰፋፊ እርሻዎች እንዲሁም የተሻሻሉ ዝርያዎችን በመጠቀምና አሠራራቸውን በማዘመን ውጤታማ እየሆኑ የመጡ የኅብረት ሥራ ማኅበራት አርዓያነታቸውን እያሳዩ ይገኛሉ። ኢትዮጵያ ለዋና ዋና ዓለምአቀፍ ገበያዎች በሚያመች የቦታ ርቀት ላይ የምትገኝ ስትሆን የንዑስ ዘርፉን (የሆርቲካልቸርን) ምርት ጥራቱን በጠበቀ ሁኔታ ወደ በርካታ የውጪ መዳረሻዎች የሚያጓጓዝ የኢትዮጵያ አየር መንገድ እጅግ ከዘመነ የማቀዝቀዣ ቴክኖሎጂና አገልግሎት ጋር ኢንዱስትሪውን በእጅጉ በመደገፍ ላይ ይገኛል። በመንግሥት ልዩ ትኩረትና ድጋፍ አግባብነት ያላቸው የፖሊሲ ማዕቀፎች ተቀርጸው ወደ ተግባር ተገብቷል እንዲሁም ሌሎች በጣም አስቻይና አጋዥ ሥራዎች እየተከናወኑ ይገኛሉ። ለዚህም ባለፈው ዓመት ይፋ ሆኖ ወደ ትግበራ የገባው የአሥር ዓመት ብሔራዊ የሆርቲካልቸር ስትራቴጂ በዋናነት ተጠቃሽ ነው።

እነዚህን የተለዩ እድሎችንና መልካም አጋጣሚዎችን በሚገባ በመጠቀም፤ ከዓለምአቀፍ ተሞክሮች ልምድ በመውሰድና በመማር፤ ለስኬት የሚያበቁ ጅማሮችን በማስፋፋት፥ ለአባል እርሻዎች ለበለጠ ውጤት ሁኔታዎችን ለማሻሻል፥ የዓለምአቀፍ ገበያ እድሎችን ለማስፋት፥ አነስተኛ አርሶአደሮችንና በዘርፉ የተሰማሩ የኅብረት ሥራ ማኅበራትን በሚያስፈልጋቸው በመደገፍ በአጠቃላይ በሀገሪቱ የሙዝ እሴት ሰንሰለት ስኬታማነት የሚታዩ ክፍተቶችን በሚገባ በመሙላት ወደ ላቀ ደረጃ ለመድረስ የሚያስችለውን መንገድ በሚገባ ለማደላደል የኢትዮጵያ አበባ፥ አትክልትና ፍራፍሬ (ሆርቲካልቸር) አምራች ላኪዎች ማኅበር ለሀገሪቱ የሙዝ ኢንዱስትሪ ከፍተኛ ሚና ያላቸውን ቁልፍ ተዋንያንን እና ባለድርሻ አካላትን በአንድ ጣሪያ በማሰባሰብ የሀገሪቱን እምቅ አቅምን በሚገባ በመጠቀምና የሙዝን እሴት በማላቅ ተጠቃሚነትን በእጅጉ ማሳደግ በሚቻልባቸው መንገዶች ዙሪያ የሚያጠነጥን የአንድ ቀን ጉባዔ “በሙዝ እሴት ወደ ላቀ ስኬት” በሚል መርህ በአዲስ አበባ ሂልተን ሆቴል አካሂዷል።

“በሙዝ እሴት ወደ ላቀ ስኬት” ለሚለው መርህ ማን ጋር ምን አለ?

ማኅበሩ ባዘጋጀው ጉባዔ ላይ ከፍተኛ የመንግሥት የሥራ ኃላፊዎችን ጨምሮ የተቋማት ተወካዮች፥ የግብርና በተለይ የአትክልትና ፍራፍሬ ባለሙያዎች፥ አምራቾች፥ ላኪዎች፥ የኅብረት ሥራ ማኅበራት፥ የገንዘብ፥ የትምህርትና የምርምር ተቋማት ኃላፊዎችና ተወካዮች፥ እንዲሁም የልማት አጋሮች፥ ሎጅስቲክስንና ትራንስፖርትን ጨምሮ በሙዝ የእሴት ሰንሰለት ውስጥ ቁልፍ ተዋንያን የሆኑ አካላት ተሳትፈዋል።

እነዚህ ቁልፍ ተዋንያን ዋና ዋና የባለድርሻ አካላት በተገኙበት በተካሄደው ጉባዔ ላይ በሀገሪቱ የምርቱን ጥራት በማሳደግ፥ በእሴት ሰንሰለቱ የሚታዩ ችግሮችን በመቅረፍና በማሻሻል ኢንዱሰትሪውን ወደ ላቀ ደረጃ ለመውሰድ የሚረዱ የከፍተኛ ባለሙያዎች ጽሑፎች ቀርበዋል፤ በኢንዱሰትሪው መሪዎችና ባለሙያዎች የተናጋሪነት ተሳትፎ ሰፋ ያለ የፓናል ውይይት ተካሂዷል። በዚህም መሠረት ኢትዮጵያን ጨምሮ የዓለምአቀፍ የሙዝ ኢንዱስትሪ ከምርትና ከገበያ አንጻር የተዳሰሰ ሲሆን መጻኤ ሁኔታውንና በዓለምአቀፉ የሙዝ ንግድ በመጪው በምን መልኩ መሳተፍ እንደሚቻል ተጠቁሟል። በሌላ በኩል የግል ኩባንያዎችና አግባብነት ያላቸው ተቋማት ለሙዝ ኢንዱስትሪው ዕድገት እያደረጉ ያሉት አስተዋጽኦ እንዲሁም ተሞክሮአቸውን አጋርተዋል። ለምርቱ ወጪ-ንግድ እጅግ ፋይዳው በጎላው የቀዝቃዛ ሰንሰለት ሎጅስቲክስ እንቅስቃሴ ዙሪያም ጽሑፍ ቀርቧል።

ከመንግስት፥ ከአምራች፥ ከገንዘብ ተቋም፥ ከኅብረት ሥራ ማኅበር፥ ተያያዥነት ካለው ተቋም በመጡ የመድረክ ተሳታፊዎች የተካሄደው የፓናል ውይይት የኢትዮጵያን የሙዝ እሴት እምቅ አቅምን በሚገባ መጠቀም በሚቻልባቸው መንገዶች ዙሪያ ትኩረቱን አድርጎ ተከናውኗል። ከጉባዔው ተሳታፊዎች በቀረቡ ጥያቄዎች መሠረት ከመድረኩ በተነሱ ሐሳቦች ላይ ሰፋ ያለ ውይይት ተካሂዷል።

ወደ ተፈለገው ስኬት ለመድረስ በሚደረገው ጉዞ ላይ የሚያዘው ስንቅ

የግብርና ሚኒስቴር ክብርት ሚኒስትር ዴኤታ ዶክተር ሶፊያ ካሳ ጉባዔውን በይፋ በከፈቱበት ወቅት ሲናገሩ ከሙዝ ምርት የበለጠ ተጠቃሚነትን ለማሳደግና የላቀ ስኬት ላይ ለመድረስ ከምርት መጠን መጨመር ባለፈ በምርቱ ጥራት ላይ በትኩረት መሠራት እንዳለበት ጠቁመው ለዚህም የባለድርሻ አካላት ርብርብና በቁርጠኝነት የሚደረግ የተጠናከረ ቅንጅት እንደሚገባ አስመረው ተናግረዋል። ለዚህም ሚኒስቴር መሥሪያ ቤቱ ከማኅበሩና ከሌሎች ቁልፍ ተዋንያን እንዲሁም የልማት አጋሮች ጋር በጋራ ለመሥራት ያለውን ቁርጠኝነት አጠናክሮ እንደሚቀጥል ገልጸዋል።

በጉባዔው የእንኳን ደህና መጣችሁ ንግግር ያደረጉት የኢትዮጵያ አበባ፥ አትክልትና ፍራፍሬ አምራች ላኪዎች ማኅበር ዋና ዳይሬክተር ቴዎድሮስ ዘውዴ ኢትዮጵያ በሙዝ እሴት ያላትን እምቅ አቅም በሚገባ በመጠቀም ከኢንዱስተሪው ወጪ ንግድ በመቶ ሚሊዮኖች ከዛም ባለፈ እንደ ላቲን አሜሪካኖቹ በቢሊዮኖች የሚቆጠር የውጭ ምንዛሪ ማግኘት እንደምትችል ገልጸዋል።

ለዚህም በዋናነት ደረጃቸውን የጠበቁ ዘመናዊ የማብቀያና የችግኝ ማዘጋጃ ቴክኖሎጂዎች፥ የአቅም ግንባታ እንዲሁም በእሴት ሰንሰለት ውስጥ የሚሳተፉ ተዋንያን የተቀናጀ አሠራር ትኩረት ሊሰጠው እንደሚገባ ዋና ዳይሬክተሩ ተናግረዋል። ኢንዱስትሪው በተለይ የገንዘብ አቅርቦት በእጅጉ የሚሻ መሆኑን የጠቆሙት ዋና ዳይሬክተሩ ለዚህም የገንዘብ ተቋማትን ከፍ ያለ ድጋፍና ጠንካራ ትብብር ጠይቀዋል። ጉባዔው የሆርቲካልቸሩን ንዑስ ዘርፍ በተለይ ሰብል-ተኮር ኢንዱስተሪን ለማጎልበትና ኢኮኖሚያዊና ማኅበራዊ ተጠቃሚነትን በእጅጉ ለማሳደግ ማኅበሩ የሚያካሂዳቸው ተከታታይ ሁነቶች አካል መሆኑን የተናገሩት አቶ ቴዎድሮስ በሙዝ እሴት ወደ ላቀ ስኬት የሚለውን መርህ እውን ለማድረግ መሰል ዝግጅቶችና ሰልታዊ ጥረቶች ከቁልፍ ተዋንያን፥ ከባለድርሻ አካላትና ከልማት አጋሮች ጋር በመተባበር ተጠናክረው እንደሚቀጥሉ ገልጸዋል።

የተፈለገውን ውጤት ለማምጣት ጉባዔው ትኩረት በሚሰጥባቸው ጉዳዮች ላይ በመምከር የሀገሪቱን የሙዝ እሴት በማላቅ ከኢንዱስትሪው ተጠቃሚነትን በእጅጉ ለማሳደግ ይረዳሉ ያላቸውን አካሄዶች ጠቁሟል። በዚህም ረገድ የምርት ጥራትን ለማላቅ ሚናቸው የጎላ ቴክኖሎጂዎችና አሠራሮች ላይ ማተኮር፤ ለኢንዱስትሪው ለተሳለጠ የገንዘብ አቅርቦት አገልግሎት የሚረዱ አሠራሮችን መንደፍና ከሚመለከታቸው ተቋማት ጋር ተቀራርቦ መሥራት፤ ምርትን በተፈለገው መጠንና ጥራት ከማቅረብ ባለፈ የገበያ ልማት ላይ መሥራት፤ ተወዳዳሪነትን መሠረት ያደረገ የገበያ ዋጋ፤ የሎጅስትክስና መሰል ደጋፊ አገልግሎቶችን ማስፋፋት፤ የኢትዮጵያን የሙዝ ምርት ጥራቱንና ተወዳዳሪነቱን የሚያስጠብቅ ጠንካራ ሥርዓት መዘርጋት፤ በሙዝ እሴት ሰንሰለትና በኢንዱስትሪው ዕድገት ቁልፍ ሚናዎች የሚኖራቸውን አካላት የሚያሰባስብና ለላቀ ስኬት የሚመክር መድረክ መፍጠርና በሀገር ውስጥ በሙዝ ምርት የእሴት ጭማሪ እንቅስቃሴዎችን ማጎልበትና ማስፋፋት የሚሉ ሐሳቦችን ጉባዔው ጠቁሟል።

ጉባዔውን በማዘጋጀቱ ማኅበሩ ከፍተኛ ምስጋና የተቸረው ሲሆን ለታላቁ ጉዞ መሠረት የሚጥል ሁነኛ ጅማሮ እንደሆነ የጉባዔው ተሳታፊዎች ተናግረዋል።

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Unpeeling Potential, Growing Beyond Bunches: Inside National Conference on Banana

National Conference on Banana deliberates on ways of unleashing Ethiopia’s banana potential through enhanced product quality and addressing key issues within the industry, thereby boosting export revenues and enhancing decent employment opportunities among other socio-economic gains.

Organized by the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) under the theme – ‘From Bunches to Breakthrough”, the National Conference on Banana is going on at Hilton Hotel in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa.

The one-day Conference brings more than 200 participants together from across the agricultural, particularly the banana value chain, including agricultural experts, horticulturalists, producers, exporters, cooperatives, financial institutions, research and academic institutions, development partners, and other actors.

Featuring presentations and panel discussions with top-notch speakers and industry specialists, the Conference dwells upon the current status of Ethiopia’s banana industry, reviews global banana market trends, charts out ways to address supply chain hurdles and post-harvest handling as well as to expand export opportunities for the country’s high-value banana products.

Officially opening the Conference, H.E. Dr. Sofia Kassa, State Minister of Agricultural Investment and Input Supply Development Sector at the Ministry of Agriculture, underlined on the need to drive collective and committed efforts to achieve breakthrough in the banana industry through strengthened quality compliance to international standards and expanding the access to finance, among other strategic interventions.

“Breakthrough will not happen by production efforts alone. It requires us to address, with combined efforts and commitment, the real challenges that stand between our farms and the global marketplace,” said the State Minister.

To effectively drive the growth of Ethiopia’s horticulture and strengthening its value chain in the country, the Government has been taking favorable measures through sectoral policy frameworks and supportive initiatives, including the 10-Year National Horticulture Strategy launched by the Ministry exactly this time last year, noted the State Minister.

H.E. Dr. Sofia reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to working hand in hand with EHPEA, producers and exporters, development partners, and the financial and research communities, to translate the outcomes of the Conference into real policy action and committed investment on the ground.

The one-day Conference has brought more than 200 participants together from across the agricultural, particularly the banana value chain to primarily deliberate on ways of unleashing the country’s potential and positioning Ethiopia as global banana export powerhouse.

In his welcoming remarks, the EHPEA Executive Director Tewodros Zewdie noted that the Conference has been organized with focus on identifying local and global opportunities, laying strategies for improving production, research impact and further commercialization of the banana crop.

EHPEA spearheads strategic initiatives and interventions to support the successful implementation of such relevant polices and promote the subsector, ensuring robust and sustainable horticulture in Ethiopia that generates increased hard currencies and creates decent jobs for citizens.

Tewodros said the Association has been undertaking series of consultative platforms and capacity building interventions with the Ministry of Agriculture and its partners, reinforcing the efforts geared towards releasing the potential in the horticulture industry.

Presentations were made on pertinent topics including among others, banana production and research in Ethiopia, global banana industry, smart cold chain logistics, and the role of private sector in banana industry.
The Conference is accompanied by mini-exhibition displaying products and businesses along the banana value chain.

Strategic JV in Green Wealth: Unlocking Horticulture’s Next Horizon

A Regional development enterprise today announced horticultural investment opportunities in Oromia Regional State, offered through public entity-private sector joint venture (JV) arrangements to accelerate Ethiopia’s horticultural growth, thereby boosting the subsector’s foreign currency earnings and enhancing decent job creation.

The Oromia Forest and Wildlife Enterprise (OFWE), which is engaged in conservation and economic activities, communicated the investment scheme to the members of the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) at an event organized on the premises of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) in the capital Addis Ababa.

The proposed JV framework combines land resources of OFWE with private investment capital and operations to develop high value high land horticultural crops and strategically drive the country’s horticultural growth.

The partnership is designed to be implemented in a manner that ensures mutually beneficial partnership, also fostering multifaceted opportunities for the local communities.

In his opening remarks, Desalegn Teshale, State Minister of Agriculture and Horticulture Development, noted that the Government attaches great importance to the subsector to properly utilize the country’s horticulture potential and further enhance its economic and social gains.

OFWE oversees millions of hectares of natural resources, plantation forests, and wildlife conservation zones within the Oromia Region, of which 99 percent is for conservation while the remaining one percent is utilized for economic activities.

In his presentation of the JV investment opportunities on high value high land horticultural crops, Ararsa Ragassa, OFWE Director General, said that 3,000 hectares of land, scalable to 5,000 hectares, is immediately available in strategic locations near to Addis Ababa.

The identified locations in different parts of the Region are very near to Addis Ababa, primarily with eucalyptus trees being developed for economic activities.

Co-chairing the discussion on the occasion, Abera Worku, CEO of Oromia Agro Group, said the initiative is in line with the Regional Government’s commitment to strategically supporting and promoting the country’s horticulture industry which has multifarious economic and social impacts.

He noted that it is designed, based on the direction from the Regional Government, to address land demand for horticultural investment without affecting farmers and local livelihoods, but through thoughtful and strategic approach that avoids previously experienced bottlenecks, negative perceptions and squabbles.

Reiterating that the initiative is a milestone in the country’s horticulture sector, Tewodros Zewdie, EHPEA Executive Director, said more than 80 percent of the country’s horticultural operation is in Oromia Region, signifying the importance of the Region as far as the horticulture sector is concerned.

The identified areas being in Sheger City and other locations very close to Addis Ababa make the initiative ideal for horticultural investment which requires smart and efficient agro-logistic setup, noted the Executive Director.

Hailing the Regional Government’s commitment to promoting the industry through such bold measures, Tewodros underlined on the need to put the initiative forward as it addresses several important issues including compensation payment, land title deeds and tenure among other procedures, and thereby creating fertile ground for smooth investment towards win-win outcomes.

Appreciating the initiative during the discussion, Nega Mequanint, EHPEA Board Chair, underlined on the need to utilize the opportunities through engaging discussion with the Enterprise on ways of putting the proposed partnership forward.

TVET-Industry Linkage: Green Handshake for Strategic Alliance on Horticulture Sector

Holeta Polytechnic College (HPC) and horticultural farms today signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) formalizing a strategic collaboration and partnership between the commercial farms and the College towards mutually beneficial engagement through exchanges and leveraging reciprocally-owned resources.

The Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) has been spearheading and dedicatedly supporting initiatives that foster TVET-industry linkage meant to effectively cultivate the country’s horticultural potential towards enhanced gains out of the subsector.

EHPEA and the @Ministry of Labor and Skills (MoLS) recently initiated a course aimed to create potential collaboration and catalyze partnership between HPC and EHPEA Member Farms within the Holeta Cluster, in Oromia Regional State.

Through the facilitation and active engagement of the Association, the EHPEA Member Farms and the College have been conducting consultative meetings and exchanging sessions on ways of forging and underpinning a meaningful TVET-Industry linkage.

The strategic partnership inked today allows HPC and the commercial farms to share knowledge and experience, foster opportunities for apprenticeship and employment as well as to leverage reciprocally-owned resources among others.

A Farm Where World-Class Carnations Blossoming in Sustainable and Innovative Operation

Located in Ethiopia’s favorable highland climate, Schecter Yosef Flower Farm keeps thriving with its premium-quality carnations cultivated sustainably for international market, thereby generating foreign hard currency and economic opportunities for local community among other positive social and environmental impacts.

Operating on net 6 hectares of land with innovative cultivation technologies in Holeta, Oromia Regional State, the Farm produces flowers that consistently meet high standard of quality, freshness, and sustainability.

As part of EHPEA’s dedicated engagement in supporting Member Farms and promoting sustainable horticulture through various interventions, a team led by Tewodros Zewdie, Executive Director of the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) recently visited Schecter Yosef Flower Farm.

With quality, environmental responsibility, and social accountability at the heart of its operations, Schecter Yosef Flower Farm specializes in premium carnations and currently creates job opportunities for 120 local people, with increased number of workforce during peak seasons.

The Farm is certified with well reputed standards, including GlobalG.A.P., GRASP, and EHPEA C.O.P., among others, demonstrating its commitment to good agricultural practices, environmental stewardship, worker welfare, and continuous improvement.

“We are dedicated to combining innovation, sustainability, and excellence to produce flowers that exceed customer expectations and strengthen Ethiopia’s reputation as a trusted exporter of world-class floriculture products,” says Ghidey Kidane, Farm Manager of Schecter Yosef Flower.

Driven by the motto, “Growing Excellence, Delivering Quality,” the Farm maintains internationally certified production systems that meet high standards of producing and supplying the premium carnations for international markets, primarily The Netherlands.

“Every flower is carefully cultivated, harvested, graded, and packed to ensure maximum freshness and long vase life,” says the Farm Manager, emphasizing that his Farm’s prime focus is producing premium-quality standard carnations for the global market, delivering consistent, reliable, and fresh flowers to customers.

While promoting sustainable farming practices, the Farm is continuously investing in quality improvement, employee development, and customer satisfaction.

EHPEA’s Training on Securing Avocado Quality, Navigating Emerging EU Due Diligence Regulations

The Ethiopia Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) has successfully conducted an awareness training on avocado post-harvest handling and the emerging Regulations of the European Union (EU) Due Diligence in Bahir Dar, Amhara Regional State.

The training was designed to prepare local farmers and agricultural experts to meet evolving market expectations and regulatory requirements, particularly the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) and related Corporate Sustainability obligations.

Producer cooperatives, commercial farms, government extension workers, and subject-matter experts attended the training which aimed to improve market readiness by reducing post-harvest losses and maintaining consistent product quality at every stage of the value chain in a sustainable manner.

It has facilitated an important platform for participants to gain practical knowledge and share learning on avocado pre-harvest and post-harvest quality factors as well as on avocado harvest index and export-quality parameters.

Blooming in Fields of Premium Strawberries: Driving Productivity and Global Growth Through Sustainable Excellence

Beeco Agro Industry PLC is advancing sustainable and modern horticulture in producing premium fresh strawberries for international markets, thereby contributing to Ethiopia’s economic growth and agricultural transformation among other positive social impacts.

Specializing in the production and export of premium fresh strawberries with its Farm in Holeta, Oromia Regional State, the Company is driving its horticultural operation through innovation, responsible farming, and strict adherence to international standards, thereby establishing itself as a trusted supplier of high-quality strawberries to global markets.

Guided by its motto, “From Ethiopia’s Fields to the World’s Tables,” Beeco operates on 24.6 hectares of land, with approximately 12 hectares currently under strawberry production using modern greenhouse and tunnel technologies.

Beeco is certified to internationally recognized standards, including GLOBALG.A.P., SMETA, BASIS, and FACT, demonstrating its commitment to food safety, environmental sustainability, ethical business practices, and workers welfare.

As part of EHPEA’s dedicated engagement in supporting Member Farms and promoting sustainable horticulture through various interventions, a team led by Tewodros Zewdie, Executive Director of the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA), recently visited Beeco’s farm during a field tour to member farms in the Holeta Cluster.

“Continuous investment in improved varieties, precision irrigation, and modern crop management are among the key factors that have enabled the Company to deliver consistently high-quality fruit,” says Tamirat Adugna, General Manager and Co-Founder of Beeco Agro Industry PLC.

“Our mission is to produce world-class strawberries while contributing to sustainable economic development, environmental stewardship, and community well-being,” says the General Manager.

The Company currently employs 314 permanent staff, the majority of whom are women, and recruits more than 100 seasonal workers during peak periods, thereby increasing the number of workforce to nearly 500 people.

Beeco exports premium fresh strawberries to Singapore, Europe, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, and several African countries, generating foreign hard currencies while strengthening Ethiopia’s position in the global horticulture industry.

“Our priority is to improve productivity, expand export markets, and maintain the highest international standards of food safety, quality, and ethical business practices. We continuously introduce improved strawberry varieties to enhance yield, fruit quality, shelf life, and sustainability,” explains Tamirat.

Making Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) an integral part of its business philosophy, the Company has invested ETB 6.5 million in constructing a 1.5-kilometre gravel road, improving access for local communities and supporting the Holeta City Administration’s corridor development programs.

In addition, Beeco has provided clean drinking water to surrounding communities, and it supports school feeding programmes, while contributing to community health insurance initiatives, and participating in other social and environmental development activities.

“At Beeco Agro Industry PLC, we believe sustainable business success goes hand in hand with social responsibility,” says Tamirat, adding, “Through innovation, responsible farming, internationally recognized certifications, and strong community partnerships, we are committed to producing premium-quality strawberries while improving livelihoods and promoting Ethiopia as a trusted supplier of high-value horticultural products.”

Cultivating Momentum: High-Level Consultative on Supercharging Horticulture Subsector

A high-level consultative meeting was convened today on the premises of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), deliberating on ways of increasing the performance of the country’s horticultural subsector.

Presided over by H.E. Dr. Sofia Kassa, State Minister of Agriculture, the meeting dwelt upon the achievements on the subsector performance and important issues already addressed and also the way forward to augment horticultural productivity and forex generation among other social and economic gains.

As a follow-up on a series engagement, the consultative meeting featured two presentations: the 2025/2026 Horticulture Subsector Performance and the Plan for the 2026/2027 budget year by Dr. Dereje Abebe, Lead Executive Officer of Agricultural Investment and Product Marketing at MoA; and recent achievements on important issues of the subsector and the way forward by Tewodros Zewdie, Executive Director of the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA).

Stating that several measures have been taken with tangible results in important areas, the State Minister has reiterated her Ministry’s committed support to the horticulture subsector, paving ways and facilitating conducive environment for the private sector, and thereby collaboratively driving the growth of the industry.

Speaking during the discussion, Nega Mequanint, EHPEA Board Chair, commended the Ministry for its continued support in addressing spectrum of issues that are critical to the smooth business operation of the EHPEA Member Farms.

Hailing the role of the consultative meeting in identifying and discussing critical areas that require combined engagement, the Board Chair also underlined the need to employ committed joint efforts of all stakeholders to build on the achievements and address other issues towards realizing the expected gains out of the subsector.

Meeting participants brought up variety of pertinent issues and discussed them at length.

Strategic Partnership in Horticulture: Reinforcing College-Industry Linkage

A consultative meeting was convened today at Afriflower Farm on ways of fast-tracking the process of launching formal and meaningful partnership between commercial farms and Holeta Polytechnic College (HPC) to drive mutually beneficial horticultural development through exchanges and leveraging reciprocally-owned resources.

The Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) has been spearheading and dedicatedly supporting initiatives that foster TVET-industry linkage meant to effectively cultivate the country’s horticultural potential towards enhanced gains out of the subsector.

During a recently held joint event of EHPEA and the Ministry of Labor and Skills (MoLS) at the College, a course was initiated to create potential collaboration and catalyze strategic partnership between HPC and EHPEA Member Farms within the Holeta Cluster, in Oromia Regional State.

The proposed initiative aims at fostering strategic collaboration between HPC and commercial farms through sharing knowledge and experience, creating opportunities for apprenticeship and employment as well as leveraging reciprocally-owned resources.

Today’s meeting dwelt upon the exchanges made in-between and deliberated on ways of fast-tracking the ongoing process to wrap it up with successful creation of the formal partnership between the two sides.

Representatives of HPC, EHPEA and some EHPEA Member Farms, including Afriflower, Metrolux, Ethio Agri-CEFT and Hansa Group attended the meeting accompanied by tours to facilities of Afriflower Farm.

The participants have held fruitful discussion that significantly helps the process culminate with tangible results within a couple of weeks.

Rooted in Responsibility: How Aroma of Zuqualla Farm’s CSR Projects Scenting Local Communities

Hana Deyas, 32, is currently working at Export Department of Zuqualla Horti Plc. (Zuqualla Farm) which produces high quality ornamental cuttings and strawberry cultivated using innovative gutter system in Lume Woreda of East Shoa Zone, Oromia Regional State.

Hana, a mother of two, was born and grew up in rural Bika Kebele of Lume Woreda, where Zuqualla Farm operates hydroponic strawberry cultivation for local and export markets. Hana still remembers her early years at Bika Primary School (Upto Grade 8), which lacked standard facilities at that time.

Most African and other developing countries shared similar past story, whereby learning environment and educational facilities used to be below standard, and thereby making students less interested in education, and significantly contributing to school drop outs.

Hana’s current workplace is a walking distance from Bika Primary School. Along with her colleagues, she nowadays frequents to the School where Zuqualla Horti PLC has been making significant contribution as part of its committed corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagement.

The Company built five standard classrooms for Bika Primary School in the years 2024 and 2025, and equipped them with the essential facilities, while it is now progressing with the construction of four additional classrooms, which are going to be completed and go functional in September at the beginning of the new academic year in Ethiopia.

Wearing smiles on her face, Hana says she is very happy about the current condition of her primary school where her employer Company has also constructed Kindergarten classrooms with the necessary amenities, including outdoor playing facilities.

Zuqualla Horti Plc has enabled the Bika Primary School and the Kindergarten to access water from the proximate facility wherefrom some local people in the neighborhood can easily have the access to the water.

Operating on 42 hectares of farm land, Zuqualla Horti PLC has created job opportunities for 385 permanent employees and 109 seasonal workforces. During peak season, the total number of the workforce grows to 600.

Generating social and economic opportunities for the local communities, Zuqualla Horti PLC is also blossoming with its CSR projects in Muda Kebele, adjacent to Bika, where it is currently constructing a three-classroom standard Kindergarten and a 1.1km-road that improves accessibility and links a village to the main road.

Zequalla Horti PLC has also installed a new borehole water pump in Muda Kebele, where it restored the access to clean water by the local communities after the previous system had been out of service for many years. It has also donated two 5,000-liter water tanks to ensure a reliable water supply to the community.

Without being confined to contribution of building social facilities, the Company also donates school material every year to students from less fortunate families at Bika and Muda Schools and other low-income families in the Woreda.

While providing continuous educational support for five orphaned children at the neighboring Desta Foundation childcare center, Zuqualla Horti PLC also spreads its CSR wings to reach a School of Visually Impaired Students in Bishoftu and Sedekiyas Elderly Charity Organization in Adama, supporting education opportunities for visually impaired students and also assistances to elderly people respectively.

The Company’s workers also actively participate in voluntary blood donation campaigns, contributing to local healthcare services and supporting patients in need of lifesaving blood transfusions.

With these and other projects including contribution to development of water and sanitation facilities in the Woreda, Zuqualla Horti PLC has continued its strategic CSR interventions, demonstrating its long-term commitment to creating positive social impact and contributing to the sustainable development of the communities in which it is operating.

The Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) champions CSR interventions and initiatives by guiding its member Farms through progressive multi-tiered Code of Practice (CoP), with Gold, Silver and Bronze Level Certifications.

The Gold Level Certification is the highest level of compliance and it is awarded to Farms recognized for their baseline-exceeded performance with exceptional commitment to profound environmental and social responsibility among others.

Zuqualla is one of the Gold-certified Farms that establish strong, proactive cultures of worker investment, community support and environmental responsibility that go far beyond standard compliance.

Contact Info

Location : Mickey Leland St,  on the Road to Atlas Hotel, NB Business Center; 6th floor; Room #603
Phone : +251 11 6636750
P.O.Box: 22241 Code 1000
Email: info@ehpea.org

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