AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS ERITREA

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AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS ERITREA
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Contents

• Country Background
• Agricultural Statistics in Eritrea
• Farming Systems

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Country Background

• Eritrea is an East-African country
• Total area of 124,000 km2
• Population estimate of 3.8 million
• Bordered by-
• The Red sea- Northeast and East
• Djibouti- Southeast
• Ethiopia- South
• Sudan- West and Northwest

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Main Agro-Ecological Zones

• Central Highland (gt1,500 m.a.s.l)
• Western Escarpment (600-1,500 m.a.s.l)
• Southwestern Lowland (600-750 m.a.s.l)
• Northwestern Lowland (400-1,500 m.a.s.l)
• Green Belt (750-2,000 m.a.s.l)
• Costal Plain (0-600 m.a.s.l)

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Agro-ecological Map
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NRS
Debub
Debub
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Mixed Cereal/Pulse System

• In the Green Belt zone
• Mixed system including permanent tree crops
• This zone used as seasonal transhumance for
  agro-pastoralists
• Average annual rainfall 700-1000mm
• Dense coniferous dorest

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Rainfall

• Two Precipitations
• June September
• Western Lowlands and Highlands
• October March
• Eastern Lowlands
• Range varies
• 200 mm in the Coastal plains
• 1000 mm in the Eastern Escarpment
• Generally rainfall in Eritrea is torrential and
  erratic

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Agricultural Statistics

• Agricultural data collection is weak
• Inadequate technical expertise
• absence of Sampling Frame
• Shortage of financial resources
• Inadequate trained manpower for collection,
  analysis and interpretation
• Currently agri-data are organized by the MOA and
  Zobas

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Crop Data

• Crop Assessment Survey (main source)
• Conducted every year starting 1992
• Quantitative forecast of crop production
• tentative and not very accurate
• Crop in the field
• Rapid and subjective methods
• Based on interview of sample of farmers
• No objective measurement used
• According the crop assessment survey Eritrea is a
  food deficit country

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Crop Production 1992 - 2006
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Main crop coverage (Average of 1992-06)
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Livestock Data

• Most livestock producers Subsistence
• 50 of cattle herd found in Gash-Barka Region
• Livestock Census conducted 1997

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Livestock Population (MOA Livestock Population
Census 1997)
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Market Data

• Market prices are collected by different
  institutions
• Agricultural Marketing Can be Classified as
• Livestock Marketing
• Dairy Marketing
• Poultry and Egg Marketing
• Horticulture Marketing
• Field Crop Marketing

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Livestock Marketing

• Long and complex channels
• Poor trekking routes
• MOA promoting transport by vehicles
• Poor market facilities
• Poor Handling of Hides Skins
• Inaccuracy in price collection
• Animal quality
• Time

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Dairy Marketing

• About 10,000 dairies
• Rise steadily be/n 1991 and 1997 but fallen back
• High demand for milk milk products
• High price of milk
• Asmara dairy factory

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Poultry and Egg Marketing

• Divided into two sectors
• Backyard
• Commercial
• Marketed through urban retail markets
• Farmers
• Traders
• Chickens are sold live
• No grading for eggs

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Horticulture Marketing

• Marketing channels vary according to crop and
  Region
• Mostly delivered directly to markets by farmers
• 37 of banana products sold to traders at farm
  gate
• Fruit trade is dominated by wholesalers
• Good market facilities

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Field Crop Marketing

• Subsistence farmers
• Marketing channels
• Farmer to consumer
• Farmer to trader/village collectors
• Farmer to Eritrean Grain Board
• Import of field crops is common
• Prices rises from time to time

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Main Farming Systems

• Sedentary rain fed cereal/pulses system
• Mixed cereal/pulse system
• Agro-pastoralism
• Nomadic pastoralist system
• Spate irrigation farming system
• Commercial farming system

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Thank You