Addis Ababa: Over 45,000 hectares of land have been cultivated with rice in Central Gondar Zone of Amhara Region, according to Agriculture Department of the Zone.
The government of Ethiopia has been undertaking various agricultural development activities with a view to ensuring food self-sufficiency; expand export trade and realize import substitution.
Ethiopia’s ambitious National Rice Development Strategy, launched four years ago, has identified 30 million hectares of land suitable for rice cultivation across the nation.
There is a high tendency of rice farmland increment in Ethiopia particularly in Amhara, Benishangul-Gumuz and Oromia Regions.
As part of this ambitious rice development endeavors, Central Gondar Zone administration carrying out activities to cultivate over 45,000 hectares of land to harvest over 6 million quintals of rice.
Zonal Agriculture Department Head Nigussie Malede told ENA that the rice cultivation is taking place in East Dembia, West Dembia and Gondar Zuria districts.
So far
more than 21,000 hectares of land has been covered with rice seeds, he added.
The head stated that the farmers have been working to increase the productivity of rice through cluster farming, sowing in rows and implementing improved agricultural practices.
Nigussie pointed out that the rice cultivation in the zone would not only enable farmers ensure food security at the family level, would also create a favorable environment for the farmers to increase their economic benefits through offering rice production to the market.
The agriculture department has already been engaged in product optimization works of alleviating the problems of rice threshing machines that are encountered during post-harvest collection, he stated.
Gondar Agricultural Research Center Director General, Mintesnot Worku on his part said that rice varieties that can be cultivated in waterlogged and arid areas have been provided to the farmers.
He added that the rice varieties that the center has revealed through research at different ti
mes increases productivity and becomes more popular among the farmers.
It was learned that more than 6 million quintals of rice is expected to be harvested from the cultivated rice in Central Gondar Zone in this season.
Source : Ethiopian News Agency