Inorganic fertilizer is a crucial component for increasing agricultural output in Ethiopia’s food system. However, because it is not produced domestically, there is a significant reliance on import, which makes the country very vulnerable to global price shocks. If these global drivers are not appropriately handled, they could have a detrimental effect on Ethiopia’s food security. There is an urgent need to implement coping mechanisms for the fertilizer supply and distribution system in order to prevent a food crisis that worsens as a result of rising fertilizer and food product costs. RAISE-FS is working to assess the current situation and make recommendations for mitigation and resilience strategies from a short, mid, and long-term perspective in collaboration with national level stakeholders and project partners. As part of its ongoing efforts, RAISE-FS conducted a stakeholder workshop on fertilizer supply chain analysis on December 15-16, 2022 at Adama. The goal of the stakeholder workshop was to map the fertilizer supply chain, including core processes, main actors and their functions and linkages; information flow; value addition, price changes across the supply chain and governances of the fertilizer sector. It also intended to comprehend the varied strategies/coping mechanisms employed by actors in the face of global and local crises. It was hoped that the results of the analysis would assist in identifying the leverage points for upgrading.
The workshop was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, Amhara Agricultural Bureau, Oromia Cooperatives Promotion Agency, South Cooperatives Promotion Agency, Federal Cooperative Commission, Ethiopian Agricultural Business Cooperation, Ethiopian Shipping and Logistic Enterprise, Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Transport and Logistic, Ethiopian Maritime Affairs Authority, Ethiopian Standard Agency, and the Agricultural Authority.
Representatives from these stakeholder organizations presented functions, opportunities, and challenges relating to the organization’s roles and duties. Through group discussions, stakeholders mapped the fertilizer supply chain and identified significant issues and leverage points. Participants identified two types of leverage points: those that may be addressed immediately and those that require strategic interventions that may take time and resources. Participants noted that stakeholder organizations present at the workshop are crucial actors in bringing innovative solutions to increase efficiency in the fertilizer supply chain in both cases. Participants emphasized the importance of improved stakeholder collaboration and integration in bringing about efficiency in the fertilizer supply chain. To do this, the participants agreed to form a technical core group comprised of members from eight stakeholder organizations, led by the Ministry of Agriculture, for which Stichting Wageningen University (RAISE-FS project) will serve as secretary and facilitator.
The process and outcome of the workshop was documented for further development of proceeding of the lesson learned and key areas of improvement of the fertilizer supply chain.
RAISE-FS 