On Thursday 13 July 2023, CBI launched the ‘Transitioning the Ethiopian horticulture to a Sustainable Export Alternative’(To SEA) project in Ethiopia. The project aims to support the Ethiopian horticulture sector in growing fruits and vegetables (FVV) exports, and making the shift from air freight to sea freight.
The project will support 13 Ethiopian FFV companies with technical support, business linkages and pilot export shipments. In addition, the project will strengthen export services in the area of reefer transport, combined shipments and certification. The export markets identified as most promising for Ethiopian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are the EU, Gulf region and other countries in the Middle East.
The launch event at Hilton hotel in Addis Ababa was attended by over 60 representatives from the agricultural and logistics sector in Ethiopia. The session was opened by Ethiopian Agricultural Authority, with which CBI signed an MoU to collaborate in the field of phytosanitary services, agro-logistics and quality inputs.
After that, Mr. Meeuwes Brouwer, Agricultural Counsellor of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ethiopia, spoke of the longstanding collaboration between the Netherlands and Ethiopia in the field of agriculture.
Mr. Tewodros Zewdie of the Ethiopian Horticulture Producers and Exporters Association (EHPEA), a key partner in this project, added that the shift sea-freight is a crucial priority for the growth and sustainability for Ethiopian horticulture exports.
Ms. Afke van der Woude of CBI explained that the project will also help build a sector collaboration platform, to create a more export-enabling environment for sea freight. Furthermore, she said that CBI will collaborate with the Dutch Flying Swans consortium, to work on effective service delivery for sea-freight exports.
Mr. Piet Schotel, who provided a training on export process for the participating SMES, commented: “Ethiopia has fruit and vegetables, such as avocados, green beans and mangoes which have potential in the European market. But there are still quite some steps necessary for Ethiopia to develop a viable export market. CBI can help in addressing the obstacles and growing Ethiopian exports.”
During the event, the priorities for the sector’s shift to sea-freight were discussed by the attendants. CBI will be working on these next steps in the next years of implementation.
For more information:
Piet Schotel
Fruit Consultancy Europe B.V.
Mob: + 31 6 53381897
Email: [email protected]