Addis Ababa, 28 April 2025 (FMC) — Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to strengthen collaboration in palm production development, following discussions held in Addis Ababa between Minister of Agriculture Girma Amente (PhD) and Abdelouahhab Zaid, Secretary General of the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation.
The two sides underscored their commitment to supporting Ethiopian palm producers through knowledge exchange, technology transfer, and investment promotion.
A key outcome of the engagement is the organization of the first Palm Festival in Ethiopia, scheduled to take place from 26 to 28 August 2025.
The event will bring together farmers, producers, researchers, and private sector actors from various countries to discuss improved date palm varieties and technologies, focusing on practical solutions for enhancing production.
The collaboration is underpinned by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed recently between the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture and the Khalifa International Award for Date Palm and Agricultural Innovation, a UAE government-established initiative.
Speaking on the occasion, the Ministry of Agriculture reaffirmed its readiness to work closely with international partners to organize future initiatives aimed at boosting palm production in Ethiopia.
Regions identified as having high potential for palm cultivation include Afar, Somali, Gambella, Dire Dawa, Benishangul-Gumuz, and parts of Oromia, particularly Guji and Borena zones.
Although Ethiopia has an estimated 500,000 hectares of land suitable for palm farming, only about 6,000 hectares are currently under cultivation, highlighting significant opportunities for growth.