Ethiopian prime minister awarded Food and Agriculture Organization medal
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been honoured by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization with the prestigious FAO Agricola Medal for his commitment and support to the promotion of sustainable food production and security.
In a ceremony hosted on January 28 by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome, Italy, the Prime minister received the award in the presence of high-profile delegates representing various countries and international organizations.
He was also acknowledged for his innovative solutions in wheat self-sufficiency. The Prime Minister emphasized Ethiopia’s commitment to achieving not just zero hunger goals but also securing food sovereignty.
The Agricola Medal honours distinguished personalities for their commitment and support to the promotion of sustainable food production and world food security.
“I express my gratitude to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for bestowing the prestigious Agricola Medal for our efforts towards the attainment of food security. Our focus on high value and industrial crops is yielding promising results and we are committed to our food sovereignty path,” the prime minister said on X.
Addressing the award ceremony where he received the award, he explained that the efforts initiated over the past five years serve as a solid foundation for the generations to come, reports local media Fana Broadcasting.
Half a decade ago, a pivotal policy shift was introduced he said, giving rise to the national homegrown economic reform agenda through which agriculture, manufacturing industries, tourism, mining, and ICTs as pivotal economic pillars and catalysts for growth.
“While all of these five pillars hold immense untapped potential, agriculture productivity is critical to our population of more than 120 million and remains the driving force of our economy," he was quoted by local media Fana Broadcasting. “Wheat in particular of seasonal irrigation has been a major focus. With innovations in our planting practices and the use of technology, we have moved from a wheat deficit to a surplus production increase of 300%,” he added.
The sector's evolution has resulted in a more than 50% expansion of our overall farm area, and there is still a considerable amount of land available for cultivating crops, he indicated.
