Articles
ECONOMICS OF HORTICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN ETHIOPIA
Agriculture as the main branch of Ethiopian economy, has 50 % share in the GDP. Share of agriculture in employment is 85%. About 75% of Ethiopia’s industry is engaged in processing of farm products.
About 12,000 hectares of fruit plantation is surveyed in the peasant and state farms.
From the total area of fruit plantation about 70% is cultivated by individual peasant farmers.
The total annual volume of fresh fruit production of the state sector agriculture contribution is less than 20%.
As to the area of vegetable crops, cultivated land of the peasant farms is not well known.
Based on the surveyed percapita consumption and estimated loss between production and consumption, the annual fresh production of assorted vegetables is about 2.86 million tons.
From the total volume of horticultural products 95% is fresh vegetable production.
The major vegetable production is from the peasant farms.
There is no processing of fruit and vegetables in the peasant sub sector.
Production of canned and bottled fruit and vegetables is mainly in the Ministry of Industry (MIO) and Ministry of State Farm (MSF). The main sources of horticultural raw materials for the processing plants are the state farms.
Assorted vegetables, cutflowers, fruits and triple concentrate tomato paste are the main exportable horticultural commodities.
Ethiopia imports a very limitted amount of fresh and canned fruits and vegetables.
But there was no import of cutflowers for the last few years.