The Ministry of Agriculture stated that all stakeholders must work in coordination to sustain the remarkable progress recorded in rice development.
The Ministry of Agriculture held a discussion with stakeholders on the performance of the two-and-a-half-year rice plan, which began after rice development was placed at the national flagship program level.
Desalegn Teshale, State Minister for the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Sector, noted that rice is one of the agricultural products identified for focused work in the ten-year agricultural master plan.
Smallholder farmers expanded rice cultivation land from 60,000 hectares in 2012 E.C. to 1.7 million hectares in 2017 E.C. Production rose from 1.8 million quintals to 62.9 million quintals over the same period.
Rice imports fell from 13.1 million quintals in 2012 E.C. to 4.4 million quintals in 2017 E.C., saving 442 million dollars.