Nation Exerts Effort to Tap on Livestock Resources to Fill Growing Demand

Addis Ababa October 28/2021 (ENA) The government of Ethiopia will tap on the rich livestock resources in the country to benefit from the increasing demand of animal products locally and continentally, State Minister of Agriculture Fikru Regassa said.

The 10^th Ethio Poultry Expo and 6^th African livestock Exhibition and Congress is underway from 28-30 October 2021 in Addis Ababa.

More than 50 exhibitors from at least 6 countries, including Ethiopia, Germany, Scotland, Netherlands, Jordan and Hungary, representing animal husbandry value chain are exhibiting their products and services, it was learned.   

The state minister said on the event that Ethiopia is working to exploit its animal resources potential to benefit from the increasing local and continental demand for the  products.

“Ethiopia has huge animal resources, but the production and productivity is still low and needs different forms of supports,” Fikru observed, adding that “demand for animal products in Ethiopia is increasing rapidly, which is not matched by similar growth in local production.”

Currently the total volume of milk produced has, for instance, increased gradually, from less than 4 billion liters to approximately 7 billion liters per annum, he pointed out.

The country, according to him, will also tap on its animal resource potentials by exploiting the Africa Free Trade Area to be operational by next year to benefit from the growing animal products consumption demand in Africa.

“There is a huge market that we need to tap on as the Continental Free Trade Area is expected to be operational by end of next year, which also opens our door for other country products,” the state minister added.

Africans are expected to consume 83 million tons of milk by 2050 and meat consumption is estimated to increase to 13.5 million tons and that of poultry 11.8 million tons, he explained, pointing out that Africa is also projected to consume 2.6 million tons of fish by the year 2030.  

Ethiopia, with favorable investment potential in the sector where millions of people depend on animal rearing, an integral part of the agricultural productivity, and contributing 45 percent to agricultural GDP, has set plenty of initiatives to work in collaboration with interested investors and is encouraging livestock producers to increase production and add value, he added.