The South Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR) announced that it readied 1.2 mln hectares of land for Meher season seedtime across the region.
Region’s Agriculture and Natural Resource Bureau Public Relation Head, Girmame Giruma told WMC that the region which had its crop harvest 50 percent in Meher and the other 50 percent during Belg season had half million hectares of land covered by Beleg season this year to be reused to Meher seedtime.
He said that leader and farmers are ready covering the ploughed fields with crops as all inputs including fertilizer and improved seeds are stocked at Kebele, where the farmers can take directly.
According to him, the demand for fertilizer rose up to 1.7 mln quintals exceeding 780,000 quintals of fertilizer demand the region had last year.
He said out of the 1.7mln quintals, 1.4 mln quintals of fertilizer already at the crutch of Kebele stocks.
According to him, the demand for improved seeds shown increments partly because of the drought hit stricken areas wants to compensate the loss it entailed.
“There is no shortage of inputs; and there will not be,” he said.
Though the land, which would be covered by this Meher season does not show any elasticity compared from last year, the Region planned to harvest 32 mln quintals of harvest in main crops exceeding the amount harvested same period last year by 14 percent.