Monday, February 06, 2012
In a nation where agriculture is the foundation, Ethiopia’s economy has long heavily relied on thriving coffee yields as its main cash crop. In recent years the EHDA has been encouraging Ethiopian farmers to acquire new farming techniques and new crops.
This week the country recorded its first shipment of 40 tons of organic banana to Saudi Arabia to meet growing demands for the produce in that market.
According to the EHDA, at least 11,400 farmers are involved in the project in a land covering 3100ha in the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and People’s Region. It added Ethiopia was in the process of exporting 200 tons of bananas per week for the Jeddah market following an agreement with a foreign company interested in exporting.
Ethiopia has expressed great optimism in this development and other agricultural advancements it has achieved in recent years. It says by 2014, the country will generate more than US$530 million in revenue from flower exports alone.
Two decades after the collapse of Somalia, which was renowned for its thriving banana industry Ethiopia welcomed its first ever banana exports. Somalia was also the largest exporter of the crop in East Africa which reached the Middle East and EU markets. According to a recent survey, the Somali banana is still preferred in places such as the United Arab Emirates and Iran.
At its peak of production, Somalia used about 12,000ha of land to produce the crop and it employed roughly 120,000 people. Researchers also claimed that the Somali bananas do not experience major pests or diseases and that the riverine soil was rich in nutrients. Currently, the country grows bananas in 3,000ha for local markets.