sweet newsletter vol.4. no.3 march 2016 , by ethiopian sugar corporation

Sweet Vol. 4 No. 3 March , 2016Newsletter

Vision ፡ Ensuring sustainable growth, become one of the ten competitive sugar producing countries of the world in 2023

Coordinated work CruCial to attain Sugar development goalS: State minister of public enterprises

•Public and State forums held

Coordinated work of stake holders is crucial to attain sugar development goals, State Minister of Public Enterprises says.

Presiding the meeting of stake holders of

the state wing of Sugar Corporation held on March 9 2016 at Ghion Hotel, State Minister Ato Beyene Gebremeskel noted on the need of the harmonious work of stake holders so as to carry out works devoid of obstacles.

Sugar Corporation signed an agreement with the Israeli Netafim Company to apply drip irrigation at Welkayit Sugar Development Project.

According to Legal Affairs Executive Officer of Ethiopian Sugar Corporation Ato Fassil Gebre-Mariam the agreement enables

Quarterly Newsletter Published by Sugar Corporation Communication Directorate:+251-(0)11-552-7475 : +251-(0)11-552-7050 : 20034 Code 1000 A.A

regional preSidentS paid viSit to Sugar development projeCtS

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Inside Pages

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Sugarcane Large Irrigation Schemes Easing Impact of El Nino>>7

Presidents of Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State as well as Amhara have paid a visit to Omo-Kuraz and Tana-Beles sugar development projects respectively.

Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region president Ato Desse Dalke and Ethiopian Sugar Corporation

Corporation Signed agreement with iSraeli Company on applying drip irrigation

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Coordinated work crucial to attain...

According to him all stake holders need to ensure the avoidance of the repetition of their previous wrong doings. The Corporation as well as stake holders should work in harmony so as to solve problems seen, he also said. The discussion forums started with stakeholders should continue to make their coordinated effort practical, Ato Beyene further noted.

CEO of the Corporation Ato Endawek Abite on his part, elaborating the reason of the Government in building up the change and development agents, discloses the necessity of creating conducive as well as constructive environment among stake holders sharing the same mission and there by create the potential of carrying out duties effectively.

The forum helps to identify common gaps and indicate the right directions towards which

the focus of attention should aim at and thereby work hand in glove to solve them, he further said.

On the occasion Ato Rahmeto Anito, Infrastructures Development Contract Administration Executive Officer has presented a discussion point on which wide discussion has been held.

Participants of the forum are from Ministry of Public Enterprises, Ministry of Water Irrigation and Electric, Ethiopian Electric Power, Ethio-Telecom, Awash Basin Authority, Ethiopian Water Works Design and Control Corporation and Ethiopian Roads Authority.

Likewise, in a bid to discuss the problems related to sugar distribution and come up with its solution similar discussion forum of public as well as state wings of the Corporation′s stake holders was held at

Ethiopian Hotel here in the capital on March 15, 2016.

During the discussion Ato Endawek Abite, CEO of Sugar Corporation said «though not in abundant the 600,000 tons of sugar the Corporation is supplying annually satisfies the society`s demand».

The discussion forum is meant to consult each other and thereby carry out the distribution of sugar effectively with common responsibility and unified spirit among all stake holders as well as the Corporation, he further added.

On the discussion forum W/ro. Tayitu Ali, Executive Officer of Marketing Division of the Corporation has presented a discussion point on which wide discussions were also held.

Addis Ababa Consumers Association, Industry Input Service Organization, Addis Ababa Trade Bureau and Ethiopian Fruit and Vegetables Marketing Share Company (ET Fruit) were among the participants of the forum.

Regional Presidents Paid a Visit to ...

SugaR CoRPoRation Signed agReement ...

Chief Executive Officer Ato Endawek Abite together with their respective entourages have visited Omo-Kuraz Number 1, 2, 3 and 5 sugar factories on February 5, 2016 which are under construction.

Likewise, high ranking team led by Amahara Regional State President Ato Geddu Andargachew and Ethiopian Sugar Corporation Chief Executive Officer Ato Endawek Abite visited Tana-Beles 1 and 2 sugar factories as well as their sugar cane farms, irrigation schemes, social service institutions and infrastructures on February 21, 2016.

Problems facing the two factories were topics of discussions to which directives of solutions were given by the leadearships. Speaking on the occasion president of the region Ato Geddu Andargachew said the visit is meant to mutually solve the problems of the sugar development project so as to fulfill the development goals the nation has set on the sector.

Metal and Engineering Corporation is constructing Omo-Kuraz 1 as well as Tana Beles 1 and 2 sugar factories.

the project to carry out drip irrigation at its 7,000 hectares of land.

The drip irrigation project helps the sugar development project to grow its sugarcane with limited resource of water. The technology which is going to be applied in the coming 18 months helps to enhance sugar cane production of the project.

The loan which is to be paid back in nine years time is secured from the Israeli Hapoalim Bank, Ato Fasil further disclosed.

Netafim has immense experience in drip irrigation in various countries of Africa, Asia and others too.

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Corporation head offiCe and metahara StaffS donate Blood

Staffs of Sugar Corporation Head Office and Metahara Sugar Factory have donated blood on their own free will.

Members of management as well as employees of Metahara Sugar Factory have participated at the blood donation program held for three days at the Factory compound. The program was jointly prepared by the Factory as well as Chiro Blood Bank of Oromiya Region. According to the Factory`s Public Relations Office participant staffs of the Factory are joyous of their participation as they are playing their part in saving people who are in need of it.

Likewise, the blood donation program, which is prepared in commemoration of International Women`s Day which was observed for the 40th time in Ethiopia has been coordinated by Gender Directorate of the Corporation at the head office. Blood donor staffs of the Corporation said they hope the blood they donate contributes a great deal in saving the lives of those who are in need of it.

Numerous head office staffs have taken part at the blood donation program. Staffs of the Corporation at the head office have donated blood twice this year, it was learnt.

arjo diddeSSa Sugar faCtory Creating joB opportunitieS to loCal CommunitieS

Arjo Diddessa Sugar Factory, providing training on various skills, is currently benefiting the local communities creating wide job opportunities. According to the Factory`s Public Relation Office

10 youths from Chafe Jalala and Bekkalcha Biiftu districts have recently become tractor operators of the Factory passing through a three months training program at

Blood donation at Metehara Sugar Factory

Blood donation at Head Office

Tractor Operator kerya Beshir on duty

Sugar Corporation including all sugar factories and sugar development projects under it signed agreement with the Labor Union of the Corporation on Saturday April 2, 2016. The negotiation of the two parties has been in progress since December 1, 2015.

Speaking on the signing agreement Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation Ato Endawek Abite said the management of the Corporation takes the Labor Union as its work partner and hence gives it the necessary recognition.

The Labor Union is expected to fulfill its duties at this decisive stage of the corporation, he further added.

Labor Union Head Ato Temesgen Welda-Meskel on his part, appreciating the smooth negotiation it had with the Corporation, discloses the readiness of the Labor Union in cooperating with the Corporation.

On the occasion briefing on focus areas of the negotiation and agreement was given by one of the chief negotiators W/ro Almaz Endaylalu. At the end of the signing agreement

16 members who took part in the negotiation process have received certificates from the CEO of the Corporation.

Representatives from Confederation of Ethiopian Trade Unions, Ethiopian Employers’ Federation, National Federation of Farm, Plantation, Fishery and Agro Industry Trade Unions and others have attended the signing ceremony.

The agreement is expected to assist a great deal creating healthy relationships of the industry.

Corporation and laBor union Signed agreement aRjo diddeSSa SugaR FaCtoRy CReating ...

Ginchi and Chancho Tractor Training Centers of Ethiopian Roads Authority. The recruited trainees on their part said they are happy for the job opportunity they have got at the factory and expressed their commitment in playing their part to the fulfillment of the goals the Factory has set.

One among the beneficiaries Ahmed Mohammed expresses his joy of the skill he has acquired and the job he has secured at the Factory.

The other beneficiary W/ro. Keriya Beshir on her part says she was dropped out of school at grade nine for various reasons and get married and she is now happy by the job opportunity she get at the factory.

Similarly youths enlisted and trained as tractor operators in 2014/15 are currently working in the Factory, Public Relation Office of the Factory has also disclosed.

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training on hiv/aidS mainStreaming given SugarCane large irrigation SChemeS eaSing impaCt of el nino

The 2015 El Nino weather pattern, affecting the weather of some areas around the world, has exposed especially many parts east Africa to severe drought disturbing their seasonal rainfall. Tremendously lowering the volume of the rivers water was one among many others the impact of this catastrophic weather pattern is seen surfacing at this part of Africa. El Nino generally affects the macro economy of different countries particularly of those with rain-driven agricultural commodities.

On the other hand, big dams with large irrigation infrastructures constructed to halt the flow of water of rivers uncontrolled but rather use this resource wisely and efficiently play a very significant role to cope up the drought that usually follow the aforementioned weather pattern especially on those dependant on such agricultural practices.

Ethiopia is one among many other nations which have faced drought due to the current weather pattern. On the other hand, the Nation, for the last decade, has been working robustly,

though not enough, in building big dams and large irrigation schemes to use its abundant water resource efficiently. But, the severity of the 2015 El Nino is so high that Ethiopia’s great effort on the constructions could not stop, though minimize, the adversary impact of this unusual weather pattern in many cases except on Omo River where it has zero impact because of Omo-Kuraz Sugar Development Project.

According to the Head of South Omo Zone Adminstration , Ato Alemayehu Bawdi the Omo Kuraz Sugar Development Project has greatly helped all districts of South Omo Zone to do away with adverse impact of the current change of the weather that affect many parts of the nation where such large irrigation infrastructures are not available.

“As we are using irrigation infrastructures at Woitoo, Bezzo and Omo, we have faced no drought at all of our districts”, Ato Alemayehu added. Recalling the vulnerability of Selamago District earlier, following the start of the sugarcane plantation of the project

Sugar Corporation Health Directorate in collabo-ration with World Learning has given HIV/AIDS Mainstreaming Training to members of stake hold-er organizations and districts HIV/AIDS Coordina-tors as well as Human Resource division heads of sugar factories and sugar development projects.

The training held from March 14-16 at Adama in which 70 trainees have taken part has focused on peer training, working in coordination, flier prepa-ration, condom distribution and other related is-sues.

Parallel with the above an evaluative training pro-

gram focusing on HIV/AIDS issues was given to 50 Corporation staffs selected from head office, sugar factories and sugar development projects from March 17 to March 19 at Adama.

Speaking on the occasion Corporation HIV/AIDS Affair Coordinator Sister Kassech Shibeshi said the Corporation is working in line with the gov-ernment directions to alleviate the risks of the pandemic. According to her sugar factories and sugar development projects are not on equal per-formance level and there are some among them who have no budget at all for HIV/AIDS related issues.

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we have never supplied food aid to the District, he says. “No shortage of either water or grazing land is reported till now” he has also disclosed, giving the credit to Omo-Kuraz Sugar Development Project.

“The irrigation schemes of the above sugarcane plantation has enabled both former as well as new villages of the Bodi nationality, who were not familiar with farming, to harvest maize up to 70 quintals per hectare for the fifth round” Ato Asres Adarro- Public Organization, Compensation and Rehabilitation Deputy General Manager of Kuraz-1 Sugar Development Project on his part says.

Chief Administrator of Selamago District, Ato Pashima Welkorro is another official who has shared his views on the project’s role in doing away with the impact of the current weather pattern at his

district. He, recalling the now & then exposure of the district to food assistance prior to the inception of the Kuraz Sugar Development Project, discloses the zero impact of the current worldwide adversary weather pattern at the district due to the project. We used to supply food aid as the yearly maize harvest of the pastoralists at Omo-Shashi was meager to cover their annual demand, he further noted. According to him, pastoralists around need no more now to wonder here and there in search of water or grazing land and it was all possible since the inception of the project.

Bochi Doorba is a pastoralist of Bodi community and is one among many others who voluntarily have joined the villagization program. He recalls how much members of his community were skeptical when the project began at their area and how they were

watchful on every activity of the project with uncertainty till their as well as members of Murssi community’s visit to Benna Tsemai, Dassenech and Gnangatom districts pastoralists of South Omo Zone who have become beneficiaries of the irrigation schemes earlier than them.

“We also have paid a visit to the pioneer of the sugar industry of the nation- Wonji Shewa Sugar Factory and share the rich experiences of the farmers around from whom we have learnt how the industry has enabled them to become self sufficient from their past experience of their repeated exposure to food aid ”, Bochi further went on saying. Requesting the Zone Administration and the project to participate in Kuraz Sugar Development Project and being handed over with 0.75 hectares of irrigable land cultivated with sugarcane, we

are now waiting eagerly for the beginning of sugar production of the sugar mill currently under construction, he has also added. “We have also harvested Maize for the fourth round and are now preparing it for the fifth one with the help of the project while we are also taking care of the cane field parallel with the former” he also says. According to Bochi his kids are enrolled at the school constructed at his door steps and members of his community are no more moving far in search of water and grazing land for their cattle as ponds are made ready everywhere for this purpose.

On the other hand, with regard to the amount of consumption of the Omo River to the large irrigation of the project Deputy General Manager of Construction of Irrigation and Maintenance of Kuraz-1 Sugar Development Project Ato Behailu Getachew on his part says the project, through its main and secondary canals, uses only 0.0023 meter cube water out of 22.76 meter cube it intakes from Omo River letting the rest to flow back to the River’s route.

When it comes, likewise, to Gibie River power production, the water directed for the purpose will normally go back to its usual course causing no variation on the amount of the River.

Ethiopia’s engagement in building dams and constructing large irrigation schemes for the past ten years especially in relation with sugarcane plantations at the various regions of the nation has bear fruit in easing , though not avoid the impact of the 2015 El Nino weather. And hence, sugar factories such as Metehara, Kessem, Tendaho as well as Wolkayit Sugar Development Project have played a very significant role in assisting natives around them exposed to the drought by supplying water, top canes , molasses as well as bundles of hays to their cattle.

Had it not been for the construction of the large irrigation infrastructures and dams the nation has been carrying out especially for the last decade, the world would have heard the most horrible impact of El Nino on the nation, especially at arid areas, early in 2015. One can site here the role the Tendaho Dam of Tendaho Sugar Factory at Afar Regional State has played since the first two or three months of 2015 to date in easing the water shortage of natives around and their cattle have been facing.

Hence, Ethiopia as the Water Tower of Africa is righteous in using its abundant water resource fairly. And, it is with this in mind and together with the vulnerability of the nation to repeated drought due to its dependence on the rain-driven agricultural practices that the FDRE Government has been engaged for more than ten years on using the nation’s water resource efficiently building big dams and large as well as small irrigation infrastructures which in the long run will definitely enable the nation to cope up with the adversary influences of worldwide weather changes like El Nino.

SugaRCane LaRge iRRigation SChemeS ... Continued from page 7



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BenefiCiarieS of Sugar develop-ment projeCtS and faCtorieS

Since its inception to its completion every sugar development project benefits residents of the local community who live around it.

Sugar Corporation which was newly set up in 2010 has lots of projects which are benefiting the local community where the projects are being carried out. It has a division responsible to carry out this task. The division, Public Organization Division, has organized thousands of people in many areas of sugar development projects/sugar factories working hand in glove with regional administratives.

The Corporation since the first year of the last G.T.P had made series of discussions with people around sugar factories and sugar development projects. Following the discussions and reaching

at consensus it carries out projects from which the community are benefiting.

A good example for this is the villagization programs which have made pastoralists of Afar and South Omo Zone of S/N/N/P Region cultivate crops owning their own irrigated farm land. The villagization is carried out where pastoralists are found and is done in consultation with the pastoralists themselves, regional administratives, federal government, non-governmental organizations and other stake holders.

Next to setting up the necessary infrastructures and social service institutions comes the willful villagization of pastoralists. The program has helped these pastoralists to do away with their long journey in search of grazing

land and water to themselves as well as their cattle.

The Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional Sate is among other regional states in which sugar development projects are underway. Omo-Kuraz Sugar Development Project is found in this region. 4,142 families (of whom1,630 are female) with 21,609 members are found at this project. Among these 1,962 pastoralists have joined the villagization program at the six newly set up villages out of them 782 are female.

In the past five years seventy three million sixty one Birr is spent by the Corporation at this project only.

The other Sugar factory which is benefiting the local community is Wonji Shewa

Sugar Factory. The Factory and its sugar cane expansion field have made local community members their centers of interest. The farmers around the sugar cane plantation are organized as sugar cane out growers. 9,455 households are participating as cane outgrowers. Seventy five million birr is spent for social service facilities.

Similarly houses, social service facilities and infrastructures are built to farmers around Keseme Sugar Factory where they join the villagization program.On the other hand 9,381 households have joined the villagization program at Tendaho Sugar Factory during last G.T.P. 48 social and other infrastructure facilities are set up for them and have already started rendering service.

On the other hand people around the sugar development projects are also benefiting without being displaced from their homes being organized in unions. Both farmers and pastoralists are benefiting from this scheme by becoming cane out growers. Accordingly in the past five years 53 unions of more than 12,101 households have become sugarcane out growers. They have also improved their activities building their capacities. Sugar Corporation has been giving training to build their capacity. Because of this 15,180 hectares of land is covered with sugar cane by organized unions.

1430 pastoralists in Omo-Kuraz, 1341 in Tendaho and 755 in Kessem as well as 1,222 in Fincha, and 9098 farmers in Wonji-Shoa have become sugar cane out growers.

Sugar development projects and sugar factories have also created job opportunities to thousands of compatriots in the past five years. As a result 49,415 people in Omo Kuraz, 50,870 in Tana Beles, 9,522 in Arjo-Diddessa, 27,788 in Fincha,31,689 in Kessem, 36,484 in Wonji, 22,902 in Meta Hara and 46,411people in Tendaho have benefited from job opportunities created.

In addition to this, job opportunities created to small and micro enterprises are concrete evidences of the benefites of sugar development projects and factories. 649 small and micro enterprises in Beles, Omo Kuraz, Kessem, Arjo-Diddessa, Welkayit, Wenji-Shoa, Meta-Hara, Fincha and Tendaho have surely benefited from the sugar industry sector.

Potable water at Welkayit Sugar Development Project

School Constructed at Tana Beles Sugar Development Project

Farming with irrigable land at Tendaho Sugar Factory

Quarterly Newsletter Published by Sugar Corporation Communication Directorate:+251-(0)11-552-7475 : +251-(0)11-552-7050 : 20034 Code 1000 A.A

Visit of President of S/N/N/P Regional State at Kuraz Sugar Development Project

Visit of President of Amhara Regional State at Tana Beles Sugar Development Project

sweet newsletter vol.4. no.3 march 2016 , by ethiopian sugar corporation

Government & Nonprofit