Over 70 million Euro Agreements Signed for Horticulture and Dairy Development in Ethiopia - ENA English
Over 70 million Euro Agreements Signed for Horticulture and Dairy Development in Ethiopia

Addis Ababa November 22/2023 (ENA) Agreements on horticulture and dairy projects that would be financed by the Government of Netherlands and implemented in Ethiopia were signed today.
The Government of Netherlands would provide over 70 million euro in total, out of which 33.3 million is for phase III of Horti-LIFE and over 40 million for diary development.
The agreements were signed between SNV Ethiopia Country Director, Julie Graham, Ambassador Henkja Bakker, Crops and Horticulture State Minister Meles Mekonen, and Livestock State Minister Fikru Regassa and BRIDGE Project Manager RinusVan Klinken.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, SNV Ethiopia Country Director Julie Graham said the two projects aim to transform diary and horticulture sectors to bring about real and lasting change not only for small holder farmers but also for the wider communities by improving access to affordable and safe nutrition.
She further said the sectors have an important role to play in tackling malnutrition across the country and also providing access for fresh and affordable fruits and vegetables.
Likewise access to safe and affordable dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and others plays a critical role in boosting nutrition particularly for children.
The third phase of the projects will continue to be implemented in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture, it was learned.
Netherlands Ambassador to Ethiopia, Henkja Bakker said on his part these two projects represent significant milestone in our collective efforts to improve food and nutrition security and reduce poverty in Ethiopia by financing them.
"This is an opportunity for us to come together to celebrate the achievements that we have made so far and consolidate our effort for the third phase projects."
According to Crops and Horticulture State Minister, Meles Mekonen the previous phases of SNV Horticulture Live Project, in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture, have significantly improved the productivity of fruits and vegetables.
Livestock State Minister, Fikru Regassa said that for the couple of years BRIDGE+ was really working with small holder farmers in Ethiopia, by specifically supporting the diary value chain.