The Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) in collaboration with CropLife Ethiopia today convened a workshop on Agrochemical Container Management to drive collaborative efforts meant to establish a practical and sustainable model specifically tailored to Ethiopia’s export-oriented horticulture value chain.
The initiative primarily aims at supporting EHPEA member farms in meeting environmental compliance, responsible-use, certification, sustainability, and market-access requirements while generating evidence and lessons to inform broader agrochemical container stewardship initiatives in Ethiopia.
The workshop brought together EHPEA member farms, government institutions, agrochemical suppliers, recyclers, certification bodies, and development partners to assess the current situation, learn from international experiences, identify practical solutions, and agree on a roadmap for piloting the system within the horticulture sector.
The day-long event featured presentations under topics including Ethiopia’s Environmental Legal Frameworks and Implementation; Agrochemical Container Management in Ethiopia’s Horticulture Sector; Global Insights: International Best Practices and Sustainable Container Management Models; Current situation in terms of misuse of empty pesticides container; and Practical Stewardship Models and Industry-Led Solutions.
In his welcoming remarks, Tewodros Zewdie, EHPEA Executive Director, noted that the EHPEA Code of Practice requires responsible operations of member farms, and the initiative would further reinforce the efforts and commitment to environmental stewardship and social responsibility.
The Executive Director emphasized on the need to adopt the standard and proper procedures of agrochemical container management, saying “Empty agrochemical containers must be triple-rinsed immediately after use. The agrochemical containers must not be reused for food or water.”
“It is important to crush after triple-rinsing and the containers should be taken to an approved disposal or recycling system,” noted Tewodros.
In her keynote address, H.E. Ferenesh Mekuria, Deputy Director General of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) commended the joint initiative as it is timely and coincides with the ongoing Clean Ethiopia Campaign that drives nationwide collective commitment to safeguarding the environment sustainably and building a cleaner, healthier and greener Ethiopia.
The Deputy Director General noted that the Workshop plays an important role in further enhancing the gains in environmentally friendly and socially responsible operations of the horticulture subsector which is generating hard currencies and creating job opportunities in the country.
With active engagement of the participants, the Workshop entrained insightful deliberations on the presentations as well as on the follow-up mechanisms and next milestone.
