OVER 11 MILLION SMALLHOLDER FARMERS POISED TO DOUBLE THEIR YIELDS FROM THE BLENDING FERTILIZER INITIATIVE

(left to right) State Minister of Agriculture Mitiku Kassa and Oromia Regional State Vice President Abdulaziz Mohamed cut the ribbon to officially open the newly constructed fertilizer blending facility in Tullu Bollo.

Robert Sauers, USAID Ethiopia

Tullu Bollo, Oromia, Ethiopia – The Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), with support from the Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), today inaugurated the first ever fertilizer blending factory in Ethiopia. The fertilizer initiative aims to introduce custom tailored fertilizers to Ethiopia and kick-start in-country production of these fertilizers. It is expected that this initiative will lead to widespread adoption and accessibility of blended fertilizers, benefiting more than 11 million smallholder farmers. USAID supported the construction of this factory with a $1.2 million USD innovation grant and collaborated with the MoA, ATA, and Becho-Woliso Farmers’ Cooperative Union on its establishment. In addition, the Government of Ethiopia is collaborating with several partners to support the construction of four more cooperative union owned fertilizer blending plants in Tigray, Amhara, Oromia, and SNNPR.

For several decades, Ethiopian smallholder farmers applied only two types of fertilizers – DAP and urea. The increased use of these fertilizers in recent years has not resulted in proportionate growth in crop yields. In view of this, the Ethiopian Government launched

USAID Ethiopia Mission Director Dennis Weller gives remarks at a ceremony to inaugurate the first ever fertilizer blending facility in Ethiopia.

Robert Sauers, USAID Ethiopia

EthioSIS soil fertility mapping project. The AGP-funded project began in 2011 and ATA has produced preliminary results in 225 woredas. These early results showed that Ethiopia’s soil is deficient in sulfur, boron, potassium, zinc and copper in decreasing order of intensity, confirming the need for blended fertilizers.

MoA, in collaboration with the ATA, regional bureaus of agriculture, USAID and other partners, conducted more than 40,000 new fertilizer demonstrations in the four region. The results showed yield increases up to 100 percent, when compared to conventional fertilizer application of DAP and urea. “Improved inputs, such as fertilizer and seeds, are a proven factor in agricultural productivity,” said USAID Ethiopia Mission Director Dennis Weller. “So the U.S. Feed the Future Initiative has awarded over $4 million USD in grants for improved inputs to help transform Ethiopian agriculture and benefit smallholder farmers.”

The lack of available fertilizer blends customized to Ethiopia’s soil on the international market, the local production cost advantage over importation and the benefits of in-country production to the Ethiopian agribusiness sector led to the establishment of blended fertilizer factories in Ethiopia. The farmers’ cooperative unions are a vital part of the fertilizer initiative as they will run the factories on a commercial basis with support from the regional government and bureaus of agriculture.

Blending machinery inside the first of its kind fertilizer blending facility in Tullo Bollo, Ethiopia.

Robert Sauers, USAID Ethiopia

According to Professor Tekalign Mamo, state minister of agriculture and minister’s advisor who oversees the national soil fertility survey and establishment of fertilizer blending factories, ‘’It is a dream come true!”

See Also

USAID Mission Director Remarks Fertilizer Factory, [PDF, 170 kb]