Addis Ababa: MoANR Launches Post-Harvest Management Strategy

A National Post-Harvest Management Strategy was launched here today.

The five-year strategy launched by Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources (MoANR) aims at reducing the level of post-harvest loss from 25 percent to 5 percent by 2020.

Director- General for Agricultural Extension at the ministry, Wondale Habtamu , said the strategy could be used as a platform for creating integrated reduction of post-harvest loss through systematic and structured mechanisms.

This strategy will be a working tool in reducing quantitative and qualitative food losses through adoption and implementation of appropriate post-harvest management systems along the agricultural values, he added.

Input and output market efficiency, access to financing and investment and promoting value addition are among the areas emphasized in the new strategy.

Currently, Ethiopia is facing 15-20 percent loss from crop production due to the problems associated with post-harvest management.

“If the country produces 300 million quintals of crop and there is 20 percent post -harvest loss, the country will loss over 60 million quintals yield which will cost us billions of birr”, the Director- General explained.

The strategy has included the country’s post-harvest management situation, post-harvest loss management directions and implementation plans.

Wondale further stated that the strategy will also create effective post-harvest management coordination systems, public and private partnerships and facilitate evidence based studies.

The ministry has earlier launched a 3-year Horticultural Management Strategy.

source ena