•                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
                                               
                                               
                                               
                                               
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
                                               
                                               
                                               
                                               
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
                                               
                                               
                                               
                                               
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
                                               
                                               
                                               
                                               
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
  •                                        
  • Which oilseeds are a good business opportunity in Ethiopia?
  • In 2009, the Royal Netherlands Embassy in Ethiopia commissioned a study on oilseeds business opportunities. The study indicated that sunflower and soybean represent the greatest opportunity for domestic market supply and import substitution. Imported soybean and sunflower oil have a considerable market share on the local market.
  • Can soybeans be grown in Ethiopia?
  • There is favorable climatic and soil conditions for production in South and Western Ethiopia, therefore, soybean can be easily produced both for commercial purposes as well as for subsistence farming. More and more domestic and foreign investors are moving into large scale farming in Ethiopia.
  • How much oil does Ethiopia import?
  • Ethiopia imports large quantities of soybean and palm oil. The value of imported edible oil is 40 to 50% of the export earnings of oilseeds. Oilseed crushers produce around 20% of the domestic consumption of edible oil: 80% is imported mainly as palm oil and soybean oil.
  • Does Ethiopia have a high protein animal feed industry?
  • There is a large scarcity in high protein animal feed in Ethiopia for the booming dairy, export beef and poultry sectors. The animal feed industry uses maize/soy seed and oil cakes (nough, linseed, cotton and soy) as principal raw material.
  • Does Ethiopia produce haricot bean?
  • Ethiopia has favorable agro ecologies for haricot bean production. The people habitually consume it besides serve as a cash crop across the country. The current production status is not comparable to the existing market and consumption needs coupled with low productivity due to absence of improved haricot bean varieties.
  • What is the Ethiopian edible oil standard?
  • The Ethiopian Edible Oil Standard allows for refined and semi refined oil (nough, sunflower and groundnuts). However, a significant part of the domestic market is covered by crude oil because of weak legal enforcement; Lack of market studies and available market information.