The West Wellega Zone Agriculture Office in Ethiopia's Oromia Region has announced an ambitious plan to cultivate over 449 million premium coffee seedlings ahead of the upcoming Ethiopian Summer Season.
This initiative aims not only to rejuvenate the local coffee industry but also to uplift the livelihoods of thousands of farmers in the region.
Farmers are actively engaged in a transformative process, replacing ageing coffee plants with high-yield, disease resistant varieties. By uprooting old trees and planting new seedlings, they are setting the stage for a thriving coffee economy that promises increased productivity and sustainability.
Ephrem Mesfin, Head of the Coffee and Tea Development Team at the Zone’s Agriculture Office, revealed that the seedlings specifically selected varieties named Menesibu, Chala, Sinde, and Haru are being cultivated at both government and private seedling stations. These elite coffee varieties were sourced from the Jimma Agricultural Research Center, renowned for their resilience against disease and drought, boasting an impressive average yield of over 11 quintals per hectare.
Ephrem emphasized the scale of this initiative: “More than 449 million 262 thousand coffee seedlings are set for planting this summer, with participation from over 44 thousand coffee farmers. This effort is part of our broader strategy to enhance farmer benefits through integrated farming practices. So far, we’ve dug approximately 116 million 614 thousand 340 planting holes in preparation for these seedlings.”
The project will see over 66 thousand 199 hectares of new land cultivated with coffee across all districts in the zone during the planting period from mid-May to the end of July.
In a significant move towards modernization, farmers will also replace non-productive old coffee trees with these new, robust varieties.
Local farmers are enthusiastically embracing this initiative.
Srika Debela, a farmer from Guliso Woreda, shared his aspirations: “I am personally planting around four thousand coffee seedlings for the upcoming winter season. We are also preparing to dig wells and utilize natural fertilizers to ensure optimal growth.”
Similarly, Gemechis Geneti, a resident of Lalo Asabi Woreda, highlighted the benefits they are experiencing: “We are preparing to uproot over three thousand old coffee plants and replace them with more resilient varieties. The government’s support in providing improved seedlings each year has been instrumental in boosting our productivity.”
This monumental effort is expected to significantly enhance coffee production in the West Wellega Zone, which currently yields an average of over 250 thousand tons of coffee annually. As farmers gear up for this planting season, the region is poised for a prosperous future in coffee cultivation, promising economic growth and improved livelihoods for its agricultural community.