ADDIS ABABA (HAN) November 17, 2015. Public Diplomacy & regional Security. The State Minister Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Wondyirad Mandefro, has launched the second phase of the Ministry’s agriculture action plan. Launching the 12 billion birr plan at Bishoftu town on Saturday (November 14) the State Minister underlined its significance for maintaining the growth in agriculture.
The ministry is optimistic will make a significant contribution to the success of the Second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP2), boosting agricultural productivity with four million households involved. Among key elements of the plan are building capacities, employing technologies, utilizing water resources and building irrigation canals.
The State Minister also emphasized that the program will help create additional jobs for women and youth in rural areas. Kibru Belayneh, coordinator for the Ministry’s agriculture growth program also underlined that the program would encourage and facilitate research activities in the field.
He added that the World Bank is the key sponsor of the program which will be implemented in four thousand kebeles across seven regional states and one city administration.
In its first phase of implementation, the program provided more than 157 districts with increased productivity, scaling up of best practices, facilitating market opportunities and supplying farmers with agricultural equipment, with more than 1.6 million people, 40% of them women, directly benefitting. MFA
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