Ethiopia Can Feed Itself, Contribute to Global Food Supply: PM

Addis Ababa February 18/2023/ENA/ Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the agricultural activities Ethiopia has been undertaking are showing promising results that the country will feed itself and can contribute to the global food supply.

While addressing the official opening ceremony of the two-day 42nd Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union today, he said that Ethiopia has been working hard in enhancing agricultural productivity and environmental protection in the past four years.

“In Ethiopia, we have been working diligently to enhance agricultural productivity in the past four years. We have commenced an initiative that encourages small holder farmers to farm in cluster that enables them to benefit from irrigation and mechanization,” he noted.

According to him, wheat production has been fruitful and Ethiopia has officially started wheat exporting program.

“Our laser focus on wheat productivity is bearing fruit and our ambition to begin exporting wheat this year has already materialized. (It is) a great achievement for Ethiopia and an even great achievement for our continent.”

Abiy further pointed out that the country is also undertaking massive campaign to encourage both small and large scale poultry, diary, livestock farming and urban agriculture through a national initiative.

“These efforts are showing promising results. Not only will Ethiopia feed itself, we are confident that we can strongly contribute to global food supply through export and otherwise.”

Pointing out the need to unlock Africa’s agricultural potential to ensure food sovereignty and resilience, the premier called on African Union and other development partners to support in unleashing the agricultural potential in the continent.

He recalled that the 2023 Dakar Declaration on food sovereignty and resilience rightly acknowledged the continental awakening that it is time for Africa to feed itself and fully unlock its agricultural potential to feed the world.

“I call upon our African Union and development partners to support in unleashing this potential,” Abiy stressed.

He also pointed out the lack of global action to the severe climate change effects in Africa.

“We all know that Africa’s contribution to global warming is insignificant. Yet, climate change is already affecting Africa more severely than any other part of the world. To this extent, climate change is an African problem, but its roots lie elsewhere.”

According to him, global meetings on climate change are rich with the rhetoric of climate justice, the just transition --- common but differentiated responsibilities of parties.

“These talks, however, are hardly ever backed up with action. And Africa cannot wait. Ethiopia is definitely not waiting for solutions to come from outside. Instead, we are doing all we can to contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation.”

Abiy further added that over the past four years, Ethiopia’s contribution through the national Green Legacy Initiative has mobilized 25 million Ethiopians across the nation.

“Collectively, we have now planted well over 25 billion trees across the country. The impact could be equated to removing 64 million gasoline-powered cars from the roads for a whole year.”

For us in Ethiopia, the PM said, environmental protection is about everything we are as a society. It is about our ability to feed ourselves. It is about our ability to conserve water and other precious resources. It is about our ability to preserve peace between adjoining communities. It is about our survival as a nation.