use from the sector and contribute much for the over all to the Gross one of the means for achieving its mission is boosting agricultural

 

Domestic Product (GDP) ; systemic problems.. production and productivity in which livestock and fishery are one and the most.

 

Livestock is a collective term for domesticated animals that are kept, mostly for the production of meat, milk, wool, or other products. The most common species cattle are, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, and chickens. They are usually raised for profit.

 

Ethiopia is a country endowed with high resources in livestock. The nation is the first and the tenth in Africa and the world respectively in its livestock resources.

 

In an exclusive interview held with The Ethiopian Herald, Livestock and Fishery Development Minister Sileshi Getahun said that Ethiopia has a vision of becoming a middle income country by 2025. "Hence, one of the means for achieving its mission is boosting agricultural production and productivity in which livestock and fishery are one and the most," he said.

 

Ethiopia has a large number of cattle in all the three agro-ecology of the nation: high rain fall receiving areas, the high land, and pastoral low land areas. These areas are suitable for cattle and remnants production. Moreover, it has still good number of camels which have very important and selected animal specially in the Middle East and low land areas.

 

There is a very clear policy, strategy and plan for making this sector to contribute for the overall national economy and major contributor to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

 

Sileshi further said that although the country has a huge livestock potential; it has not yet adequately exploited its resources for the economic benefit of the country, ensuring food security as well as economic development. However, not policy, strategic or plan issues that hinders the country from exploiting the sector and contributing much for the overall GDP.

 

The government plans to increase livestock production contribution's to GDP by 10 per cent. Hence, the Ministry will be aggressively engaged in focusing on three major areas: in increasing red meat, dairy milk and poultry production both in terms of quality and quantity during the second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP II) period, he added.

 

The Minister further said that livestock and fishery production is believed to be a resource for boosting agricultural proportion. Therefore, the government plans to increase red meat by 11.8 per cent, fish by 15 per cent, milk by about 9 per cent and poultry production by 600 per cent in GTP II period. "We have a huge potential which can increase the poultry production by 600 per cent. Fish production will also be one of the focus areas in the future. We have adequate number of cattle, sheep, goat and small remnant animals. Some neighbouring countries have less number but we are importing semi-processed hide and skin from them while we have the resources here. We need to address that," the Minister said.

 

The government exerts unreserved effort and is exhaustively engaged in improving livestock species improvement, increasing exportable and domestic use of red meat production from the cattle and increasing dairy milk production and poultry production.

 

Sileshi further said that systemic problems, starting from improvement of the livestock species, provision of food to the livestock among others are the major bottlenecks. To ensure the international standards for health aspects of the livestock and the overall veterinary, epidemiological, marketing for exporting need to have strong quarantine centres and mechanisms," Silesh added.

 

According to the Minister, the government has established Livestock Development and Fishery Ministry because there is a need to reform entire situation of the livestock. "Overall, we need to improve the extension system in the livestock and fishery. The government thinks that the sector has not been led adequately and we are not so far discharged our responsibility adequately."

 

But currently, "we have started to build quarantine centres to solve feed provision and certain marketing systematizing issues by establishing the marketing mechanism and also putting in place many regulations and laws," the Minister said

 

However, institutional capability, capacity in terms of providing adequate extension support, delivery of skill and leading all systems in the livestock and fishery sector still remain with a big challenge.

 

Ethiopia has also started to solve one of the challenges, feed provision. It has tried to address the problem of feed by rehabilitating degraded areas of the land as one means. Similarly, it has tried to solve certain marketing systematizing issues by establishing the marketing mechanism by putting in place many regulations and laws.

 

Ethiopia has a huge potential which can increasing the poultry production by 600 per cent. It can export huge amount of poultry meat. We can increase as much we like egg production. Egg production not only for domestic consumption but also for export.

 

Currently, Ethiopia is building dams for hydroelectric generation. At the same time, these dams can be used to fish farming. But, we have certain problems with regard to fishing culture in this country. It is found to be backward. Besides, in many lakes the number of fish is diminishing. One of the reason lies on the way fishing practice is taking place. It is not balanced with production even the methodology is not as such scientific, the Minister said.

 

Fish production has to a be promoted at household level. The farmers can develop small ponds, they can produce as long as they get input that can support to fish production. The farmers can produce fish at household level and can secure food security.

 

The government thinks that this sector has not been led adequately. "We are not so far discharged our responsibility adequately in the sector. Because there is no institutional set up that can specifically focus on the sector. We have adequate number of cattle, sheep, goat, small remount animals. But some neighbouring countries have less numbers. Yet we are importing semi-processed hide and sink from neighbouring countries while we have the resources."

Source : allafrica.com