Ethiopia Pledges to Strengthen Efforts in Ensuring Food Sovereignty of Africa

Ethiopia will consolidate its efforts towards ensuring food sovereignty in Africa by playing an exemplary role and through cooperation, Agriculture Minister Girma Amente said.

Even if 65 percent of the land mass of Africa is cultivable, the continent has not yet become food self-sufficient.

Under its 10-year perspective plan, Ethiopia is working to ensure food sovereignty and playing an inspirational role for the prosperity of Africa.

Agriculture Minister Girma Amente told ENA that Ethiopia is replicating its historic role of inspiring Africa in the fight against colonial masters to ensure their independence by the effort to ensuring continental economic freedom.

The successful journey in utilizing all the potentials in the agriculture sector can be taken as exemplary for other African countries, he noted.

Stressing that agriculture is one of the prioritized sectors in the 10-year perspective plan of the country, Girma said increasing production and productivity, input supply and modernizing the sector have been successful in the journey to realize food self-sufficiency.

According to the minster, Ethiopia used to spend up to 1 billion USD per year to import wheat. Today, however, the country has not only substituted the import but has also started exporting wheat.

Encouraging achievements have again been registered in transforming the rain-dependent agriculture of the nation with irrigation.

Girma pointed out that the changes that have been registered during the last four-five years in the sector have become useful experiences to be shared for other African countries.

Ethiopia will consolidate its collaboration towards ensuring food sovereignty in Africa by sharing its experiences in the agriculture sector, the minister stated.

The minister finally stressed that this is the time for Africa to develop its ample potential and natural resources to realize its prosperity.

Strengthening cooperation and partnership and growing together at continental level will be crucial to ensure food sovereignty, he underscored.

Source: Ethiopian News Agency