Ethiopia’s remarkable achievement in attaining wheat self-sufficiency serves as an exemplary success story for African nations, according to officials from the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) member states. During a ministerial meeting to endorse the IGAD Regional Food Safety Strategy and Post-Harvest Loss Management Strategy, agriculture officials from Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, and Kenya expressed their admiration for Ethiopia’s accomplishments and emphasized the importance of sharing the country’s experience in wheat production and self-sufficiency.
The Agriculture Minister of Ethiopia, Girma Amente, affirmed the country’s willingness to share its wheat production strategies and the national initiative that led to achieving self-sufficiency, even enabling the export of surplus to neighboring countries. The officials from the IGAD region lauded Ethiopia’s success as significant news for East African countries and expressed their eagerness to learn from Ethiopia’s experience.
Somalia’s Agriculture and Irrigation State Minister, Asad Abdirisak Mohammed, commended Ethiopia’s self-sufficiency in wheat as an exemplary achievement and emphasized the region’s eagerness to gain valuable insights. He highlighted the importance of food stability in the IGAD region and stressed the need for each country to focus on crops suitable for their specific soil and environment. Mohammed also underscored the necessity for African nations to strive for food self-sufficiency in the face of global challenges such as climate change and food insecurity.
Loro George Leju Lugor, the Director-General of South Sudan’s Agriculture Production and Extension Service, expressed his admiration for Ethiopia’s surplus wheat production and saw it as a significant encouragement for Africa. He stated that Ethiopia’s success would inspire South Sudan and other countries in Africa to follow in its footsteps, particularly in achieving self-reliance in cash crops like sorghum.
Uganda’s Animal Health Commissioner, Anna Rose Ademun Okuru, commended Ethiopia’s achievements in wheat production and highlighted the importance of finding products that enable adequate production to meet the population’s needs and promote export opportunities. She expressed Uganda’s interest in benchmarking Ethiopia’s success in the export of beef and live animals.
Collin Marangu, a representative from Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, praised Ethiopia for moving in the right direction and emphasized the value of sharing knowledge with IGAD member states. Marangu acknowledged Ethiopia’s willingness to collaborate and exchange expertise for the benefit of all nations.
The success story of Ethiopia’s wheat self-sufficiency is inspiring neighboring countries and other African nations to strive for food security. The officials emphasized the importance of collaboration, focusing on suitable crops for respective regions, and learning from Ethiopia’s experiences to achieve self-reliance in agriculture and improve overall food production across the continent.
