Use of Combine Harvester Expanding, Says Ministry of Agriculture

Addis Ababa January 8/2021 (ENA) The use of combine harvester, which helps to efficiently harvest a variety of grain crops, has been growing in Ethiopia, according to Ministry of Agriculture. 

Speaking to ENA, Agriculture Crop Development Director at the ministry, Isayas Lemma said the ministry has been actively supporting the expansion of agricultural mechanization.

According to him, over 360,000 hectares of land has been harvested using combine harvesters that reaps, thrashes, gathers and winnow in Amhara, Oromia and SNNPR regional states.

In total, over half million hectares of crop land, including in Somali Region, is expected to be harvested through the machines, it was learned.

The director revealed that the country losses on average over 25 percent agricultural products every year and combine harvesters would help minimize wastage of crop production during harvesting.

Accordingly, the ministry is working to raise awareness among farmers about the advantages of using combine harvesters, he added.

"The ministry is mainly working to reduce wastage while harvesting through providing combine harvesters. It further enhances awareness among farmers to collect matured crops timely as huge amount of loss happens on many crops, if they are not harvested during maturity,” Isayas elaborated.

Besides enhancing awareness on how to safely store products, the ministry has been facilitating the provision of metal granaries and plastic sacks to minimize losses of crop products.

“In the effort to minimize losses of crop products during storage, the ministry has been providing metal granaries. More than two companies at the national level are also disseminating metal granaries and plastic sacks. This would help safely store products without chemical use and prevent rodents and other pests,” the director stated.