EHPEA

Tag: ministry of agriculture ethiopia

Transforming Banana Production in Ethiopia: A Game Changer at Omorate!

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We’re excited to share a remarkable story of innovation and growth at Fri-El Ethiopia Farming and Processing PLC., an Italian company that has been making waves in the agricultural sector since its establishment in 2007. Fri-El is dedicated to transforming the landscape of banana production in the Omorate region.

With an impressive 10,000 hectares of land, Fri-El has already developed around 3,000 hectares of fertile land, harnessing the potential of Ethiopia’s rich agricultural resources. But the journey doesn’t stop there!

What truly sets Fri-El apart is its innovative approach to harvesting bananas on 1400heactars, utilizing cutting-edge cable car technology covering 20km. This approach revolutionized the efficiency of banana harvesting, ensuring that the process is not only effective but also sustainable. This unique method allows for quick and safe transportation of the bananas from the fields to processing centers, significantly boosting productivity.

Fri-El is committed to the community, creating over 3,000 jobs and contributing to local economic growth. Currently, they’re exporting 200 tons of bananas to Dubai weekly, while serving the local market, showcasing a perfect blend of local production and global demand.

Lucy Farm: Powering the Horti-Revolution from the Heart of Arba Minch!

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We continue our journey to visit and discuss with our member farms in South Ethiopia Regional State and had the privilege of visiting Lucy Farm in Arba Minch, Land of Peace and Wisdom, the hub of banana production in Ethiopia.

Lucy farm is undertaking its farming operation on 1,500 hectare out of which they produce banana on 410 hectare, mango on 82 hectare, maize on 215 hectare and they produce water melon, pepper, tomato, casava and cotton on the rest of the land.

We have discussed on potential areas of cooperation and fine-tuning the service provision of EHPEA to expedite the HORTI-REVOLUTION in Ethiopia.

VegBox Farm Grows More Than Crops – It Grows Communities!

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We are proud to witness the remarkable progress at VegBox Horticulture Farm which is engaged in the sustainable farming of papaya, passion fruit, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, sweet corn, chilly, cabbage, water melon and mango and avocado. The farm is operational on 300 hectare in Mancha, Wolaita, South Ethiopia Regional State.

The farm has managed to harness exceptional community respect and solid partnership. It is also executing demand driven Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities including construction of water canal that stretch 13 kilo meters, 10 kilometer all weather feeder road construction and building of school and running the school operation, among others. It is also working on contract farming with Small Holder Farmers in the surrounding area of the farm.

We are impressed with the model and perseverance of the farm owner and management to reach to this level irrespective of some challenges in infrastructure.

Proactively structured support schemes are pivotal to such type of initiatives to bring HORTI-REVOLUTION in Ethiopia.

The Future is Horticulture!

EHPEA Visits Klaver Flowers – A Model of Growth and Excellence

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Today, the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) had the pleasure of visiting one of our esteemed member farms, Klaver Flowers, located in Hawassa, Sidama Region.

The EHPEA team was impressed by the farm’s remarkable progress, including its recent acquisition of 50 additional hectares of land for expansion.

Klaver Flowers is renowned for cultivating high-quality summer flowers and supplying a diverse range of products, Gypsophila, Limonium, Craspedia, and Molucella—to the European market year-round. With a dedicated team in both the Netherlands and Ethiopia, the farm manages the entire value chain with care and expertise, from bulb, seed, or cutting to final bloom.

Currently, Klaver operates on 118 hectares, with 90 hectares under active production, exporting more than 60 million stems annually. The farm also plays a significant role in local economic development by providing employment opportunities to approximately 2150 people.

At EHPEA, we are proud to witness Klaver Flowers’ continued growth and success in Ethiopia’s thriving horticulture sector. We look forward to supporting their efforts and celebrating more milestones together.

Ethiopian Local G.A.P. Code Approved for Piloting!

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We are thrilled to share exciting news marking a major milestone in strengthening agricultural standards across Ethiopia. A high-level consultative workshop was recently convened to formally review and endorse the Ethiopian Local G.A.P. Code, paving the way for its piloting phase.

During the workshop, the Ethio G.A.P. development team presented a detailed overview of the Code’s main pillars: the General Regulation (GR) and the Control Points and Compliance Criteria (CPCC). These foundational documents set out clear, practical standards for Good Agricultural Practices, meticulously adapted to Ethiopia’s diverse agricultural landscape. They address critical areas such as food safety, environmental sustainability, workers’ health and safety, and product traceability laying the groundwork for more competitive and responsible horticultural production.

The event brought together key stakeholders and decision-makers whose expertise and support are instrumental to the success of this initiative. Notable participants included, H.E. Dr. Wondale Habtamu from the Ethiopian Agricultural Authority (EAA), Dr. Diriba Geleti of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR), Mr. Tewodros Zewdie from the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) and Mr. Abdela Negash representing the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). Their active engagement underscored the shared commitment to building a robust certification system that meets both local priorities and international market expectations.

The approval of the Ethiopian Local G.A.P. Code for piloting marks an important step forward in empowering producers, enhancing market access, and promoting sustainable agricultural growth across the country. Stay tuned as we continue to roll out this groundbreaking initiative!

This consultative workshop is organized in support of CASA program and EHPEA.

Investing in Skills for Sustainable Agriculture!

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Over the past few weeks, EHPEA TVET Center trainers has been actively engaged in delivering comprehensive capacity-building programs to more than 600 farm workers across member farms located in Koka, Batu, and Bishoftu clusters.
Topics covered included:
✅ Environmental Management
✅ Occupational Safety & Health
✅ Crop Protection
✅ Safe Handling of Chemicals
These training programs are part of EHPEA’s continuous commitment to strengthening technical competencies, ensuring occupational health and safety, and advancing environmentally sustainable practices within Ethiopia’s horticulture industry.

IFTEX Expo 2025

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EHPEA is thrilled to announce its participation in the IFTEX Expo happening in Nairobi from June 3 to 5, 2025! We’re proud to represent our member farms and create valuable B2B meeting opportunities at our stand.

Don’t miss out on this chance to connect and explore the beautiful world of Ethiopian horticulture. We are also promoting the upcoming HortiFlora Expo 2026, stop by and learn more at our stand E2.10!

See you there!

Exciting News for Ethiopia’s Horticulture Sector!

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We’re thrilled to announce that the Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA), in collaboration with TradeMark Africa (TMA), has launched a revolutionary E-learning platform called ‘Horti-Campus’ today at the Haile Grand Hotel in Addis Ababa!

This incredible digital initiative will transform capacity building in Ethiopia’s horticulture industry, providing flexible, interactive, and impactful training to professionals across the nation. 🎉

With expert guidance from TradeMark Africa, Hori-Campus is designed to bridge knowledge gaps, boost productivity, and ensure compliance with national and international standards. The platform offers a variety of learning modules covering essential topics like Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), environmental sustainability, post-harvest handling, export procedures, and occupational health and safety.

💡 A New Era of Learning 💡 Horti-Campus breaks down traditional barriers to education, enabling scalable, on-demand learning accessible even in the most remote areas. From entry-level farm scouts to senior agronomists, our self-paced courses and real-time assessments will empower horticulture professionals to enhance their skills and advance their careers.

This initiative marks a significant step in EHPEA’s mission to nurture a skilled and competitive horticulture workforce, equipping the sector with the tools needed to meet global standards and unlock new growth potential.

🙌 Building Our Future Together 🙌 The launch of Horti-Campus builds on EHPEA’s longstanding commitment to professional development in the sector. Since establishing its accredited TVET Training Institute in 2021, EHPEA has trained a wide range of stakeholders, from unemployed youth to farm managers.

Additionally, our pioneering Code of Practice, introduced in 2007, guides farms on GAP, social responsibility, and environmental sustainability, helping to train nearly 50,000 farm workers along the way!

Let’s embrace this new era of education and growth together!

Federal officials pay a visit to Joytech

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State Minister of Ministry of Transport and Logistics(MoTL), H.E Dhenge Boru, and Director General of Ethiopian Maritime Affairs Authority(EMAA), Abdulber Shemsu with Executive Director of EHPEA paid an official visit to Joytech high tech tissue culture laboratory, state -of- the- art nursery, herb export farm fields and cold chain warehouse and operation, among others.

The officials have expressed their high- level satisfaction with the high-tech farming technologies that Joytech is deploying to transform the horticulture industry in Ethiopia. They have also expressed their readiness to extend proactive support to further reinforce the enabling environments for temperature controlled service provision for JoyTech and other companies dealing with perishable products.

They have also commended the cold chain logistics and all the traceability technologies that are in operation at Joytech which generates real-time data to track and trace cold chain functionality across the supply chain.

JoyTech has also expressed its readiness to undertake new investment in cold chain so as to cater smart perishable logistics service provision to smallholder farmers and commercial players in the country.

Joytech is owned and managed by skilled and experienced growers. Currently, it runs its operations on 100 hectare on two farms located at Bishoftu and Legedadi in Oromia Regional State.

Joytech maintains four distinct areas of business: (1) Plant Propagation (2) Fresh Herbs & Niche Vegetables farming (3) Cut Flowers (4) Prepacking Distribution and Trading.

Joytech committed to growing and harvesting the finest, freshest, and most delicious herbs while consistently employing the most cutting-edge growing techniques, irrigation systems, climate control, refrigeration, and consistently superior food safety practices from field-to-fork.

Joytech’s exceptional farms are home to more than 1,400 permanent employees, 75% of whom are women. Over 150 university graduates also work at Joytech and the number is steadily rising. This reflects the involvement in creating rewarding career opportunities for Ethiopians seeking higher education.

State Minister of Transport and Logistics invites horticulture farms to invest in Cold Chain Service Provision

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A high level meeting regarding investment opportunities in the Cold Chain Service provision in Ethiopia was conducted yesterday at Hilton Hotel.

During the meeting, State Minister of Ministry of Transport and Logistics, H.E Dhenge Boru, underscored the ample investment opportunities in the cold chain service provision in the country.

He also reiterated the readiness of his ministry and the government to create conducive enabling environment for those that are interested in investing in the Cold Chain service provision.

Mr. Tewodros Zewdie, Executive Director of EHPEA, gave a presentation on the Status of Cold Chain Service Provision in Ethiopia. According to Mr. Tewodros, smart and efficient agro-logistics service provision is a prerequisite for competitiveness and also to bring transformation in the horticulture industry.

The horticulture farms on their part requested the government to arrange land in an expedited manner so as to expand their farming operation and also to undertake investment in the cold chain service provision. Access to finance is also raised as an impediment to catalyse further investment in the agro-logistics industry.

During the session it was agreed to set up proactively structured platform comprising public and private sector stakeholders to scan existing challenges and also to bring breakthrough in the horticulture, dairy and pharmaceutical industries cold chain service provisions.

Some of EHPEA members have expressed their readiness to start investment in cold chain and logistics service provision.

Various initiatives by Ministry of Transport and Logistics, EHPEA, and other development partners and stakeholders are going on to bring breakthrough in the cold chain so as to creat smart and efficient agro-logistics systems in Ethiopia.

The session was organized by Ministry of Transport and Logistics jointly with EHPEA.

Contact Info

Location : Micky Leyland Avenue 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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