Miller Magazine Issue: 128 August 2020

EthIopIa 82 MILLER / August 2020 under the Ministry of Finance and includes officials from Ministry of Trade and the Ethiopian Trading and Business Corporation. Over the past three years (2016/17-2019/20), Ethio- pia imported on average 1.2 million metric tons of wheat commercially (excluding the informal import of signifi- cant wheat product) which accounted about 30 percent of the domestic consumption. The wheat imported by the government is to stabilize food prices. All wheat imports except for food aid are purchased by the Ethiopian Government. Only designated flour mills, mostly in and around Addis Ababa can purchase the sub- sidized wheat at a discounted rate, then mill the wheat and sell flour at a fixed price to select bakeries in Addis Ababa and surrounding towns. Recently the government starts examining partially liberalizing the wheat import market. To do so would require allocating scarce foreign exchange to private companies. CORN PRODUCTION Corn is the largest cereal commodity in terms of to- tal production and yield and second in terms of area in the country. Corn production for MY 2020/21 is projected to come in at 8.6 million metric tons harvested from 2.34 million hect- ares. MY 2019/20 corn production is estimated at 8.5 million metric tons. Corn area and yields in Ethi- opia have doubled since the early 1990s, with yields reaching more than 3.5 MT/ha, significantly high- er than the East Africa average. This change happened due to improved varieties from research, hybrids seeds especially from Corteva- Pi- oneer and increased investment in extension systems. This has clearly shown that corn production can be a model for scaling up agricultur- al production through improved agricultural innovations to achieve food security. Corn is a strategic food crop grown in 13 agro-eco- logical zones covering 90% of Ethiopian arable land. Smallholder farmers produce over 95% of total corn and the remaining from commercial farms. Corn alone con- stitutes more than 60% of the caloric intake of a typical household. This indicates the clear significance of the crop in the livelihood of most Ethiopians. Corn consumption for MY 2020/21is projected at 8.6 million metric tons due to growing demand for food and feed. Since food security is the major development chal- lenge in Ethiopia and corn is one of the major food sourc- es for most of the Ethiopian population, it is one of the strategic crops in the national agricultural development plan of the country. Despite the crucial role of corn for feeding the people, it is not yet well exploited at indus- trial levels. Recently processing industries have emerged to start producing corn oil, snacks, and breakfast cereals. Sources: www.worldbank.org www.trade.gov United States Department of Agriculture Corn Production, Consumption and Import in Ethiopia (1000 Tons) 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Production 8350 8400 8600 Consumption 8450 8500 8615 Imports 23 3 5 Source: USDA Wheat Production, Consumption and Import in Ethiopia (1000 Tons) Corn Production, Consumption and Import in Ethiopia (1000 Tons) 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Production 8350 8400 8600 Consumption 8450 8500 8615 Imports 23 3 5 Source: USDA Wheat Production, Consumption and Import in Ethiopia (1000 Tons) 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Production 4800 4800 5025 Consumption 6250 6400 6705 Imports 1300 1700 1600 Source: USDA Sorghum Production, Consumption and Corn Production, Consumption and Import in Ethiopia (1000 Tons) 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Production 8350 8400 8600 Consumption 8450 8500 8615 Imp rts 23 3 5 Source: USDA Wheat Production, Consumption and Import in Ethiopia (1000 Tons) 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Product on 4800 4800 5025 Consumption 6250 6400 6705 Imports 1300 1700 1600 Source: USDA Sorghum Production, Consumption and Export in Ethiopia (1000 Tons) 2018/19 2019/20 2020/21 Production 5150 5200 5200 Consumption 5100 5100 5310 Export 75 75 10 Source: USDA