Ethiopian farmers cultivated 2.3 million hectares of wheat in 2021–2022, yielding 25 million quintals of grain—a notable achievement for a country without a long history of irrigated wheat production. The campaign, which supports smallholders pooling resources to purchase inputs, has increased the cultivation area to 1.3 million hectares from 400,000 hectares in 2022. Currently, the country’s 6 million families produce only 5.52 million tons on 2 million hectares. The government’s plan to export wheat is affecting flour milling factories and manufacturers of related products. Wheat growers in the Bale and Arsi zones, which are both known for their fertile land and high wheat production, had hoped to receive a premium price for their product.

Source: Ethiopian News June 01, 2023 17:08 UTC