SomalilandPress
Monday, February 06, 2012
The Ethiopian Horticulture Development Agency (EHDA) this week
celebrated a key milestone as the east African nation began exporting
bananas for the first time ever.
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.