Mechanization: a must for African agriculture

Human muscle-power alone can no longer feed Ethiopias's growing population Farmers will have to mechanize or food production will continue to fail to keep up with population growth, tractors and other farm equipment are needed to farm the land. In fact farms must grow more food and raise more animals now than they did previously to keep up with the demands of the growing Ethiopian population.

Mechanization does not mean simply the introduction of tractors (tractorization), it includes the improvement of all tools and equipment used in agriculture from clearing and cultivating the land to planting, harvesting and also transport, storage and processing. To be cost-effechve, mechanization must be appropriate to the varying conditions of different regions and even localities. In most of Africa cultivation is still largely by traditional methods and that these methods alone will not be able to meet the increasing demand for food in the immediate future. In most countries 70-85% of our population remains in agriculture but food production is still insufficient.

Tractorization has a role

Tractors can cope easily with hard soil and their use results in timely cultivation and the infiltration of valuable rainfall. But there are four major limitations to their widespread use: high purchase cost, small farm sizes, inadequate skills in operation and maintenance, and lack of spare parts. Agricultural engineers have to realize that appropriate technology is not necessarily simple technology. A battery started engine that is incapable of hand staffing will soon cease to be useful if there is no readily available power source to recharge the battery. Spare parts must be easily and quickly available and stored efficiently. It has been found that up to 15% of spare parts may be unusable through bad storage which has led to corrosion and other damage. Maintenance input must be kept low and simple or running costs can be ruinous. There have been calls for smaller, and therefore less expensive, tractors and even for twowheel cultivators or power-tillers. However, while small tractors and single axle machines have proved successful in Asia where soils are frequently irrigated, they are usually inappropriate in Africa. It takes a full-sized tractor to cope with the often hard, dry conditions in Africa and, unfortunately, the bigger the tractor the better it does the

work. One option for farmers with sufficient resources is to buy a tractor and to hire it out on a contract basis to his neighbours. This has proved very successful in Kenya but it is essential that land is cleared of all rocks and tree-stumps or the cost of breakages and punctures will easily exceed hire costs. Tractor-hire units run by the government have also been tried, with varying success. Now in Zimbabwe the government is running a pilot scheme to monitor the effectiveness of communal ownership of tractors. The negative side is the management input needed for all the records that have to be kept for work done, where the tractor is to go next and the servicing needed. This is above the heads of most of the people in our communal areas. They have to have the basic skills to read and write, basic maths and to have some management judgment to take decisions on priorities". Also the time taken to carry out record keeping and to manage the efficient use of a tractor is time which small farmers cannot afford to sacrifice. The training of operators and maintenance engineers is another major challenge and many farmers felt that tractor manufacturers should provide more training as a component

AEPS tractor assembly plant to be established in partnership with China YTO AEPS is focusing on going into business with the farmers co-operative movements in the country. The co-operative association was the anchor of the future of agriculture in Ethiopia and therefore needed support from both the private sector and Government. Ethiopia agricultural cooperative is a government controlled organization that through their strength in numbers is able to buy large quantities of agricultural supply at a discount. There are many cooperatives that operate in the country.

Cooperative is a means for millions of Ethiopian farmers to grow and market their products and have access to basic supplies for running a farm. The size of the cooperative means that vast supply quantities are available at lower pricing due to massive purchasing volume. Once established, our assembled tractors will have a ready market in Ethiopia for its new compact tractors and implements.

There was need for the private sector in the country to provide small and affordable tractors and other farming equipment to small-scale farmers. Farmers are tired of ox driving farming and hand hole, in tiling the land. The hand hole is not only strenuous and very limiting in terms of expansion of hectarage under cultivation. Mechanization of agriculture from land preparation through planting, crop maintenance to harvesting, processing and storage is crucial to achieving the countrys goal of self-sufficiency and for export. It was for this reason that the Government is encouraging private companies to assemble tractors with matching accessories and varied equipment for processing and storage It is AEPS efforts at transforming the face of the countrys agriculture through mechanization AEPS hopes that the company will play a leading role in supplying small but affordable tractors to small scale farmers. Among the equipment that AEPS would supply include tractors and implements, irrigation equipment, agro processing equipment, and power generation equipment and others are land preparation equipments, farm transport motorcycles and bicycles. Tractor will be assembled in APES 25,ooo sq. meter site in Dukum 27 km in the outskirt of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia This project is the mechanization of agriculture in Ethiopia; agriculture remains a key sector of the economy and continues to play a vital role in driving Ethiopia's economic growth. About 85 percent of Ethiopia's population lives in its villages and a majority of rural households depend on agriculture and related activities for their livelihood. We contribute to the growth of Ethiopias agriculture by helping farmers enhance their productivity and prosperity with our products and services. and is planed to produce 100-300 sets of 20-75 horse power tractors and fitted agricultural equipments annually AEPS is as a private company is poise to take a lead in providing affordable and suitable equipment to the small scale farmers in the country to enable them graduate to commercial status. The strategic partner is to provide the parts for assembly the tractors and the complete technology including the drawing design, the technical lines design, and technical consultation AEPS and China YTO partnership strategy of growing through AEPS partnership, who understand the local market will create jobs for local manpower, besides fuelling the agricultural growth.

Agricultural machinery enterprises, China YTO has a history over 50-year manufacture, and 20 years international trade, mature experiences of setting up assembly plants abroad and strong overseas financing, as well as reliable quality and performance of YTO products. AEPS finally decided to select China YTO as the strategic partnership to cooperate for the project of tractor assembly plant. There are favorable conditions to develop agriculture in Ethiopia, which is the second largest country and second populated country in Africa. It is well-known as the bread basket of Africa. However, because of the limits of operation form and many other factors, the country has been stagnant for a long time with lower crop yields. There are about four to five thousand tractors in Ethiopia. The agricultural machines renewal ratio is very low. Only 1000 to 2000 sets of tractors to be increased annually because the farmers can not offer to buy. we can supply each co-operative association one tractor .. As one of the fastest developing country in the world a great impact to the other east African countries it can be easily spread to the African market once entering into the Ethiopian market. Therefore, it is great importance for China YTO to enter into Ethiopian market and start the international trade to all east African countries The agricultural machines of Ethiopia is supplied By Nazareth tractor assembly plant which is government owned factory and the rest are imported from abroad. The tractors of China YTO are competitive with good functions. China YTO not only provides Ethiopia the tractor parts, but also the mature experiences of agricultural operating forms which can help Ethiopia to raise the crop per unit yield. China YTO will provide AEPS not only various tractor parts, but also the plow, harrow, seeder, rotary cultivator, fertilizer machine, mower, packaging machines and other supporting tools. The purpose is to export the agricultural machinery farming forms and techniques to Ethiopia even to the east African countries. AEPS is poised to deliver on the goal of making the project a success by producing quality and competitively priced tractors to aid Ethiopias drive towards increased agriculture production

Ethiopia is looking forward to garner the expertise in agricultural techniques and the latest technology being used for better output.

Ethiopia, has lots of opportunities in agriculture. It has lot of surplus land available for agriculture. The Ethiopian government provides investors with many facilities. Ethiopian Government policy, last year, the government has established a land bank under the ministry of agriculture. A total of 1.7 million hectares has been reserved under this policy for Foreign Direct Investment. This land is given on a lease for 25 to 45 years. Anybody investing in Ethiopia is facilitated with a seven year tax holiday. Moreover, if an investor exports 75 percent of their produce, he is eligible for a loan from local banks to the tune of 70 percent of the total project. Any investor can repatriate 100 percent equity to any country out of Ethiopia. Investors are given full support to reach out to relevant authorities and settle ones trade in the country. About 40 enterprising farmers are presently exploring the opportunities to set up their farms in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian Government feels that the private sector is an engine of growth and that private capital should play an important role in the economy. The government has eliminated most of the discriminatory tax, credit and foreign trade treatment of the private sector, simplified administrative procedures, and established a clear and consistent set of rules regulating business activities. Though bureaucratic hurdles continue to affect implementation of projects, the Ethiopian Investment Agency (EIA), the main contact point for foreign investors, has improved its services and provides an expedited one-stop shop service that significantly cuts the time and cost of acquiring investment and business licenses. Foreign investors do not face unfavorable tax treatment, denial of licenses, discriminatory import or export policies, or inequitable tariff and non-tariff barriers. CHANGES IN POLICY DECISIONS: In 2009, the Ethiopian Government shifted its agricultural policy focus towards encouraging private investment in larger-scale commercial farms. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD) created a new Agricultural Investment Support Directorate that is currently negotiating long-term leases (all land is owned by the government) on more than 7 million acres of land for these commercial farms. The new Directorates goal is to boost productivity, employment, technology transfer, and foreign exchange reserves by offering incentives to private investors.

Agricultural machinery; tractors in Ethiopia Agricultural machinery refers to the number of wheel and crawler tractors (excluding garden tractors) in use in agriculture at the end of the calendar year specified or during the first quarter of the following year. This page includes a historical data chart, news and forecast for Agricultural machinery; tractors in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has been one of the fastest growing non-oil dependent countries in Africa. Ethiopia's economy is based on agriculture, which accounts for more than 45% of GDP, 80% of exports, and 80% of total employment. The biggest sources of foreign trade are coffee, flowers and oilseeds. Yet, in spite of high rates of growth most Ethiopians live in poverty. Periodic droughts, soil degradation, high population density, high levels of taxation and poor infrastructure are main obstacles to sustainable growth. Tractors 3,000 [108th of 147] in the world Number wheeled and crawler tractors in use 2000 garden tractors are excluded. Arable and permanent cropland 10, 728 thousand hectares [25th of 148] Arable land % of land area 11.06 % of land area [96th of 199] Arable land hectares 11,056,000 hectares [25th of 199] Cereal production 121 thousand metric tons [44th of 149]
SOURCE: World Resources Institute

Agricultural machinery; tractors per 100 sq. km of arable land in Ethiopia Agricultural machinery refers to the number of wheel and crawler tractors (excluding garden tractors) in use in agriculture at the end of the calendar year specified or during the first quarter of the following year. Arable land includes land defined by the FAO as land under temporary crops (double-cropped areas are counted once), temporary meadows for mowing or for pasture, land under market or kitchen gardens, and land temporarily fallow. Land abandoned as a result of shifting cultivation is excluded.This page includes a historical data chart, news and forecats for Agricultural machinery; tractors per 100 sq. km of arable land in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has been one of the fastest growing non oil dependent countries in Africa. Ethiopia's economy is based on agriculture, which accounts for more than 45% of GDP, 80% of exports, and 80% of total employment. The biggest sources of foreign trade are coffee, flowers and oilseeds. Yet, in spite of high rates of growth most Ethiopians live in poverty. Periodic droughts, soil degradation, high population density, high levels of taxation and poor infrastructure are main obstacles to sustainable growth.

Economically active population in agriculture (number)

in Ethiopia The Economically active population in agriculture (number) in Ethiopia was reported at 30626000.00 in 2008, according to the World Bank. Agricultural employment shows the number of workers in the agricultural sector.This page includes a historical data chart, news and forecats for Economically active population in agriculture (number) in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has been one of the fastest growing non oil dependent countries in Africa. Ethiopia's economy is based on agriculture, which accounts for more than 45% of GDP, 80% of exports, and 80% of total employment. The biggest sources of foreign trade are coffee, flowers and oilseeds. Yet, in spite of high rates of growth most Ethiopians live in poverty. Periodic droughts, soil degradation, high population density, high levels of taxation and poor infrastructure are main obstacles to sustainable growth.

Land under cereal production (hectares) in Ethiopia

The Land under cereal production (hectares) in Ethiopia was reported at 9152020.00 in 2008, according to the World Bank. Land under cereal production refers to harvested area, although some countries report only sown or cultivated area. Cereals include wheat, rice, maize, barley, oats, rye, millet, sorghum, buckwheat, and mixed grains. Production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed, or silage and those used for grazing are excluded.This page includes a historical data chart, news and forecats for Land under cereal production (hectares) in Ethiopia

Source Trading Economics 10

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