The Embassy of the State of Israel in partnership with Ministry of Agriculture(MOA) held an interactive Agri-business seminar on the 6th of August, 2019 at the Skylight Hotel. The aim of the event was providing the Ministry of Agriculture with an overview of current investments of Israeli businesses in the agriculture sector. The workshop also provided an insight on new opportunities and shortcomings in the sector regarding investments.
H. E. Mr. Raphael Morav, Ambassador of the state of Israel in Ethiopia, H.E. Mr. Omuer Hussien, MOA of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, H.E. Dr. Eyasu Abrha, State Minister at MOA of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Israeli businessmen investing in Ethiopia and representatives of 19 Israeli companies and NGOs’ already active in Ethiopia for years, officials and experts from the Israeli Embassy attended the event.
Ambassador Morav, thanked the minister for his commitment to strengthen the already good collaboration between the two countries in the field of agriculture in his opening remark. The Ambassador also said the seminar was a good opportunity to discuss about Israeli companies’ activity in the field of agriculture in Ethiopia and learn about the polices of the ministry in order to elaborate where the synergies could or should exist.
The Ambassador also stated some of the achievements regarding MASHAV- USAID-MOA Ethiopia Joint Technical Cooperation Program in Smallholder Horticulture in his presentation. Supply of more than 500,000 seedlings per year of high standards variety of avocado seedlings suitable for export, awareness creation for the huge potential of avocado export from Ethiopian smallholder farmers and private sector, establishments of farmers’ clusters with a modern solar irrigation system as basis for commercial production, exporting avocado from small holder farmers to the European market are some of the achievements.
The Israeli companies presented their activities here in Ethiopia and explored challenges and opportunities in the agriculture sector.
H. E Mr. Omuer commented on the questions raised by the companies and promised to create conducive environment for the investors and to strengthen the already good collaboration between the two countries in the field of agriculture.