Ethiopia is endeavoring to export rice surplus after two years, according to Head of Democracy System Building Coordination Center at Office of the Prime Minister, Adem Farah.
Visiting irrigated rice farm Tuesday in Shebelle Zone, Somali region, Adem said, "Ethiopia will fully achieve its goal of exporting rice next to wheat and beer barley in the next 2 years to satisfy the domestic demand.”
He also stated that the production seen in Somali region will be a blessing not only to Ethiopia but also to East Africa for successful initiatives demonstrated will be strengthening.
The measures taken to meet the demand for rice production in Ethiopia are bearing fruit.
"The multi-sector economic system implemented in the country is not only contributing to the national economic growth, but also showing new features. The areas we know as pastoral areas have started to emerge with agricultural production," he said.
The rice farm in Shebelle is a national experimental program of irrigated rice production, which Adem considered as a “beginning of a new hope” for Ethiopia, which has “a natural environment suitable for rice that can cultivate up to 30 million hectares.”