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sarcasm
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Ethiopian export of agricultural commodities by cooperative unions has dropped by 50% (Reporter)

Post by sarcasm » 18 May 2022, 04:40

Export slumps as farmers shun exporting crops
7 May 2022
By Amanuel Yelkal



The war in northern Ethiopia is also a reason for the decline of exports. Previously, agricultural products such as honey, gum, and incense used to be exported from Tigray; not any longer.

Export of agricultural commodities by cooperative unions has dropped by half over the past nine months due to internal and external factors.

Ethiopian Cooperative Commission, which manages cooperative union markets, set a target to generate USD 120.39 million from exports of agricultural commodities in nine months, but only managed to get USD 43.47 million, achieving a mere 36.1 percent of the target.

Of the total eight commodities, coffee generated the highest revenue, accounting for 96.7 percent of the total volume of exports. The 18,414 tons of coffee exported by unions amounted to 40 percent of the commission’s target.

While sesame exports accounted for 10 percent of the target, gum and incense, honey, oilseed, vegetables, and fruits were not exported by cooperative unions. According to Yirgalem Eniyew, the commission's marketing director, price increases on crops such as coffee and soybeans led to the decline of exports by cooperatives.

"Soybeans are highly sought after by local agro-processing plants, hence farmers prefer selling domestically to exporting. In the meantime, coffee fetches between 300 and 350 birr a kilo on the local market, while its export price is a mere 250 birr,”Yirgalem told The Reporter.

Farmers do not bother to export their products.

The war in northern Ethiopia is also a reason for the decline of exports. Previously, agricultural products such as honey, gum, and incense used to be exported from Tigray; not any longer.

Oilseed exporting cooperative unions in Amhara region have also been affected by the war. Cooperative unions in five of the nine Amhara zones were completely destroyed, while unions in four others were partially destroyed. According to the commission, damage sustained by cooperative unions in the region totaled 25 billion birr.

"Union facilities in Amhara region that had not been destroyed were looted. For instance, 10,000 quintals of soybean, prepared for export were looted from one union in the region,” Yirgalem said.

Continue reading https://www.thereporterethiopia.com/art ... ting-crops

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Re: thiopian export of agricultural commodities by cooperative unions has dropped by 50% (Reporter)

Post by Follower » 18 May 2022, 05:22

Of course dingy tigray 's the food basket of Ethiopia. :lol: :lol: and it's contributions will affect the agricultural exports.

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