Patiala, February 15
Known for their innovative techniques in the agricultural sector, a group of farmers from Punjab, who are members of the Confederation of Potato Seed Farmers (Poscon), will grow crops, including pulses, maize, sugarcane and oilseeds, in Ethiopia, the second most populous nation in Africa.
While confirming this, secretary-general, Poscon, Jang Bahadur Singh Sangha, stated that the process to take land for farming on lease in Ethiopia was underway and hopefully, the farmers from Punjab would start farming in Ethiopia by the end of this year.
While stating that Ethiopia was a good option for Punjab farmers due to its good climate, Sangha told The Tribune, “In order to identify the land, which is best suited for cultivation, a delegation of Poscon had visited various regions of Ethiopia last year. Another delegation of Poscon visited Ethiopia in January this year and we have identified sites, which are best suited for cultivation.” He further said that mainly they were identifying the land, which received a good amount of rainfall and the ground-water quality was good.
Sangha further sated that they were getting the land on lease for a period ranging between 25 to 45 years at a nominal rate, varying between Rs 500 to Rs 750 per acre per annum. “Initially, in the first year, we plan to start farming on 1,000 to 5,000 hectare land. Before the start of monsoons in Ethiopia, another delegation of Poscon will visit Ethiopia in April-end and will complete the necessary formalities for taking land on lease from the Ethiopian government,” he said. Sangha also said that at present they had offered the proposal only to the members of Poscon, who were interested in taking up farming in Ethiopia.
See Also: http://www.future-agricultures.org/farmerfirst/files/T2b_Assefa.pdf for "Challenges and prospects of Farmer Innovation In Ethiopia".
ReplyDeleteThe Ethiopian constitution defines the right to own land as belonging only to "the state and the people", but citizens may only lease land (up to 99 years), and are unable to mortgage or sell. Renting of land for a maximum of twenty years is allowed and this is expected to ensure that land goes to the most productive user.
ReplyDeleteAgriculture accounts for almost 41 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), 80 percent of exports, and 80 percent of the labour force.[citation needed] Many other economic activities depend on agriculture, including marketing, processing, and export of agricultural products. Production is overwhelmingly by small-scale farmers and enterprises and a large part of commodity exports are provided by the small agricultural cash-crop sector. Principal crops include coffee, pulses (e.g., beans), oilseeds, cereals, potatoes, sugarcane, and vegetables.
As in many neighboring countries, most environmental issues in Ethiopia relate to deforestation and endangered species.
Courtesy: Meena, one of my Ethiopian friend lives in Canada.