Ethiopia to Host International Conference on Pulses, Oilseeds and Spices

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (WIC) – Ethiopia will organize an international conference on pulses, oilseeds and spices aimed at boosting market opportunities for the country’s diverse crops.

The three day conference, which will be held at Sheraton Addis from February 27, is organized by Ethiopian Pulses, Oilseeds and Spices Processors Exporters Association (EPOSPEA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade (MoT).

“We believe the conference will create a good market opportunity for Ethiopian exporters in the sector,” Haile Berhe, president of EPOSPEA, said Friday briefing journalists about the conference.

The organizers expect some 300 participants to take part in the conference which will be held under the theme Ethiopia: the land of crops diversity. Scientific research papers on the sub-sectors will be presented and discussions will be held. The conference also aims at creating business to business relations.

“We want to organize such a conference annually and make Ethiopia a reference point for the sector and change the country’s image for the good,” said the president.

Ethiopia has a wide range of agro-ecological zones which made the country an ideal location for the production of various kinds of crops. The country grows over 40 crop varieties, 13 in average for each of the three sub-sectors.

In export earnings, the sector is only second to coffee. The majority of Ethiopia’s export is destined to the Middle East and Asia.

“This conference will help us consolidate already existing international markets and open up new ones,” said Tedros Yilma, board member of EPOSPEA. “It also helps all market players including farmers by narrowing information gap in the sector.”

More than 150 exporters are engaged in the sector. Established in 2001, EPOSPEA has 101 members.