Unions Import 225,000Qt of Fertilizer

Unions engaged in crop development and marketing in the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples' Regional State (SNNPRS) have reportedly imported 225,000qt of fertilizer for the coming meher season, the Cooperatives Promotion Agency said. Associations Promotion, Marketing and Loan Inspection Department Head with the Agency, Firesenbet Wolde-Tensay, said that the fertilizer was imported by eight unions engaged in crop development and marketing. The unions are supplying fertilizer to their members at a reasonable price as well as in loan and in cash, as they have grown both in capital and manpower. Some 25 unions with over 150 million Br capital have been providing services for their over 200,000 members organised under 489 basic associations.

Source: The Ethiopian Herald, May 1, 2007.

Dairy Processing Factory Inaugurated

A medium dairy processing factory constructed a cost of close to 800,000 Br by the North Gondar Zone Integrated Animal Resource Development Project was inaugurated. Project Manager, Zewdu Wuletaw, said the modern dairy factory, which was constructed with the financial aid of the government of Austria, has the capacity to process 1,500lt of pasteurized milk per day. The factory will supply pasteurized milk, cheese and butter for the community, hotels, restaurants and other organisations at a reasonable price by receiving milk daily from three dairy producing organisations, he said. The factory has employed 20 people and the town's service office has provided support by granting 500sqm of land free of lease.

Investors Engage in Coffee Development

Over 134 investors are engaged in coffee development in Oromia and Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples' Regional States (SNNPRS) using the favourable investment environment created by the government, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MoARD) said. Ministry Public Relations senior expert, Zinabu Kebede, said that the investors are developing coffee on over 31,600ht of land in 37 woredas of 11 zones. The investors are producing quality coffee with high local and overseas market demand, Zinabu said. He said, besides creating job opportunities for several people, the investors engaged in modern coffee development are also contributing their share for the increment of the country's foreign currency. Some 55pc of the 334,000tn of coffee produced last year was supplied to overseas market.

Source: The Ethiopian Herald, May 1, 2007.

Oromia Issues Licenses to investors with 24.4b Br Capital

The Oromia Investment Commission has issued investment licenses to investors with aggregate capital of 24.49 billion Br during the last nine months. Its Information Officer, Bedane Gemechu, said that 219 foreign investors invested some 19.62 billion Br of the stated sum. 229 investment projects focus on industry sector while 188 others focus on agricultural investment, he said. The remaining investment projects focus on the education, health, construction, mining, catering and real estate sectors. The Commission has so far provided 109,000ht of land for investment projects. The investment projects would create over 107,000 jobs when they go fully operational.

Source: The Reporter, April 28, 2007

EEPCo Imports 35,000 Prepaid Metres

The Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (EEPCo) announced that it has recently imported 35,000 prepaid electricity metres. Sendeku Araya, public relations head, said that the Corporation has distributed 2,785 prepaid electricity metres in Addis Abeba to address complaints of customers. He said that prepaid metres would be in use throughout the country by 2011 and were believed to alleviate complaints of customers in relation to metre reading and electric bills. The metres will be distributed through eight service stations in Addis Abeba while 10,000 metres will also be dispatched soon to Adama town. A prepaid metre does not require any additional payment on the part of customers and gives a warning signal for them when the money charged in the metre runs out.

Source: The Reporter, April 28, 2007

Institute Loans Over 70m Br

The Addis Credit and Saving Institute said it has loaned over 70 million Br to nearly 14,000 clients living in the metropolis during the past nine months. Institute Public Relations Officer, Sisay Workineh, said that the loan was given to clients engaged, among others in food preparation, metal work and wood work construction, and urban agriculture sectors. He said the Institute has planned to provide 564 million Br in loans to beneficiaries during the current Ethiopian budget year with a view to reducing unemployment and strengthening micro and small scale business enterprises operating in the city. The number of beneficiaries from loan services has reached 800,000 in the city since the last eight years, he said.

Source: Addis Zemen, May 1, 2007