Spices private sector validation workshop

The Ethiopian Spices Aromatic and Herbs Growers and Processors Association (ESAHGPA) and RAISE FS agreed to collaborate in future platform meetings which would also help the association identify potential new members as well as enhance the engagement of
existing members aside from discussing major sector challenges with other stakeholders.

ESAHGPA held its general assembly on July 11, 2022 at Azzeman Hotel in collaboration with RAISE-FS. One of the objectives of the meeting was to report on the association’s performed activities, elect its new Board and plan for the coming year. The association has been serving over 60 of its members in providing information on market, policy and other opportunities. However, due to COVID-19 and capacity challenges, the association was not able to have its general assembly for the last three years. The members present during the event discussed on the need to revamp the association and its engagement with other stakeholders.

The second objective of the meeting was to introduce RAISE-FS and its intervention
agendas as a whole as well as on spices in specific. Therefore, RAISE-FS was introduced to the
association members as a new project working on food system transformation. The leverage points identified by the project for spices were validated by participants include:

1. production level: low and traditional production and post-harvest handling system, underdeveloped input supply system, low extension coverage and lack of access to finance and technologies
2. processing level: limited value addition/product development, under capacity Performance, lack of availability, affordability and quality of some spices/herbs/aromatics and lack of affordable technologies for processing and packaging
3. marketing level: lack of structure (pricing, bulking, contract system….), lack of quality standards, lack of marketing information system and linkage with value chain actors.

The spices, aromatic and herbs sub-sector is an emerging sector within agriculture. ESAHG-PA established in 2021 has been lobbying for changes in the spice’s subsector with the help of various development partners. However, this progress in the sub-sector has slowed down in the past couple of years due to various internal and external factors.