JIMMA – The Ethiopian Agriculture, Investment and Land Administration Agency has announced the allocation of 3.6 million hectares of arable land to investors engaged in the agriculture sector.
Speaking on a training provided for investors engaged in coffee plantation in Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities Peoples’ States, Agency Representative Asres Argaw said 470,000 hectares of land has so far provided to investors.
He said Ethiopian nationals and foreign investors are cultivating cotton, palm trees and sugarcane on the stated land.
The government is striving to increase participation of the private sector in the agriculture sector, he said, adding, coffee plantation is among the priorities.
Asres said the conducive investment policies and strategies as well as incentives attracted more investors to engage in coffee plantation.
According to Asres, without exerting maximum efforts and utilization of modern technologies, the country cannot achieve its goal of improving coffee production and productivity. To this end, the newly established Agency under the Ministry of Agriculture is striving to provide integrated support for investors in a bid to improve their land utilization and production.
The Agency is also providing training to investors engaged in coffee plantation on technologies that improve production and quality of coffee, the representative added.
This training, being provided for investors engaged in coffee plantation in Jimma, Kefa, Sheka and Bench Maji zones, focused on preparation of coffee seedling, transplantation, care and production process, he said.
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