Avocado production and exports in Oromia State are experiencing growth. The Oromia State Agriculture Bureau announced plans to export 12,000 quintals of the fruit in the 2024/25 fiscal year.
Tegegn Erana, Fruit Development Director at the Bureau, revealed that extensive efforts were underway to meet the export target, focusing on markets in the Middle East and neighboring countries. The bureau planned to export 1,000 quintals in the current budget year but had already shipped 610 quintals to Europe.
Over the past months, the region produced 2.9 million quintals of avocados, with 30,145 hectares of land under cultivation out of a total coverage of 55,112 hectares. Last fiscal year, production reached 6.5 million quintals.
The bureau’s efforts involve planting 20 million avocado saplings, of which 12.5 million have been planted since June. Avocado development activities engage thousands of people, with 1,751 clusters established across 185 woredas in 21 zones of Oromia.
The bureau is collaborating with stakeholders to address challenges such as input shortages and skill gaps. To boost productivity and market readiness, farmers and exporters are being offered training programs on production and value-chain development.
Source: The Ethiopian Herald
Image source: Pexels
