KEYIR NEWS - The Oromia Regional State’s West Shewa Zone has announced that extensive crop care efforts are underway to ensure a successful harvest this season.
According to the Zonal Agriculture Office, more than 32.8 million quintals are expected to be harvested from the 902,233 hectares of land currently under cultivation.
Dejene Debushe, a crop development specialist at the Office, told ENA that teff, wheat, sorghum, and barley constitute the major crops in this year’s harvest. He noted that while the initial plan was to cultivate 886,000 hectares, the actual planted area exceeded projections, reaching over 902,000 hectares.
On average, yields of 37 quintals per hectare are targeted for the 2017/18 season. Dejene further explained that crop care activities have been strengthened through the Kuta Geteem distribution system, ensuring effective input allocation and the development of a comprehensive agricultural package across 595,000 hectares.
He added that weed and pest control measures, along with coordinated farmer participation, are playing a key role in safeguarding the harvest and maximizing output.