ADDIS ABABA - Plan set to cultivate wheat on about three million hectares of land in irrigation and to produce 117 million quintals in Ethiopia's main rainy season (June-August 2024), the Ministry of Agriculture disclosed.

Briefing the media yesterday, Agriculture Minister Girma Amante (PhD) stated that activities including input supply and land preparation were finalized to attain the goal of irrigated farming in different parts of the country.

The ministry purchased one million 397, 552 metric tons of soil fertilizer for the 2023/24 harvesting season and distributed it to farmers through state unions and associations. It also planned to purchase some 23 million quintals of fertilizer for the 2024/25 harvesting season. "Among the stated amount, one million 327, 574 metric ton was purchased."

According to him, the country managed to cover 92, 786 hectares of land with improved seed multiplication in the current harvest season. In the 2022/ 23 spring harvest season, the country managed to produce over 48 million quintals and cover 2.7 million hectares of land.

"In a bid to boost agricultural product and productivity, the country covered 17.5 million hectares of land with seed in 2023/ 24 fiscal year, of which some 8.6 million is covered with cluster farming."

Girma further stated that Ethiopia succeeded in fully controlling the Desert Locust infestations by traditional and modern mechanisms, especially through aircraft insecticide spray and chemical pesticides. Also, the ministry has been working to manage and prevent crop damage that has been caused by flock birds in Amhara, Oromia, and Central Ethiopia states.