• The current production of wheat in Ethiopia is about 100,000 tons per year accounts for only 10 percent of total domestic consumption with the remaining 90 percent supplied by Russia, Australia, Ukraine, Argentina, Canada. Ethiopia’s imports wheat worth an estimated $225 million USD per year.
• Edible oils and Fats, mainly Palm oil and its fractions is the second largest imported food item in Ethiopia, imported in both processed and semi-processed form, 66% of the edible oil and fats demand is met from imports, and currently the 70% of the supplies is from Indonesia, followed by Malaysia, Kenya, Ghana and others.
• There is sugar demand gap 42% met by about USD 132 million worth imports, primarily Brazil and India. Because Ethiopia’s sugar tariff at 10% is lower than the EAC common external tariff of 25-100%.
• Major agricultural exports include tea, coffee, tobacco, cotton, and cashew nuts. In addition, some farmers raise livestock including cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and chicken as well as small numbers of turkeys, ducks, rabbits, donkeys and horses.
• A large proportion of the agricultural harvest is lost because farmers cannot get their produce to the market and/or are unable to store their products after harvest. Cold-storage facilities are practically non-existent or subject to unstable electricity supply.
• Ethiopia’s export trade is largely opportunistic, although previously had periodic export bans have discouraged traders from seeking large export contracts and encouraged illegal routes, but now the situations are quite encouraging that Ethiopia is an import and export channel for many products, including food items to the East African countries.

Product	Imports in USD Mn 2021	Top 5 Suppliers
Palm oil and its Fractions	213.58	Indonesia ($168.75Mn), Malaysia ($36.2Mn), Kenya ($3.2Mn), Ghana ($2.6Mn)
Wheat & Meslin	222.76	Russia ($95.1Mn), Australia ($48.7Mn), Ukraine ($41.1Mn), Argentina ($25.6Mn), Canada ($9.1Mn)
Sugar	132.13	UAE ($32.97Mn), India ($22.21Mn), Saudi Arabia ($20.81Mn), Thailand ($16.48Mn), Uganda ($13.99Mn)
Beverages and spirits	57.80	South Africa ($18.32Mn), Netherlands ($10.02Mn), Namibia ($5.49Mn), Uganda ($5.21Mn), France ($4.6Mn)
Animal fodder from food wastes	41.24	Zambia ($21.38Mn), Malawi ($6.97Mn), South Africa ($3.1Mn), China ($2.1Mn), India($0.9Mn))
Flours, processed milled cereals, flakes	39.45	Belgium ($12.7Mn), Turkey ($8.9Mn), Zimbabwe ($3.8Mn), France ($3.3Mn), Pakistan ($2.6Mn)
Sugar confectionery	17.84	Kenya ($14.01Mn), China ($1.18Mn), Zambia ($0.94Mn), India ($0.33Mn), Colombia ($0.33Mn)
Processed food, Bakery Biscuits	16.53	India ($3.6Mn), South Africa ($3.0Mn), Iran ($2.2Mn), Kenya ($1.7Mn), Mexico ($1.6Mn)

Ethiopia AGRO-VALUE ADDITION

• Currently, the majority of crops in Ethiopia are marketed in their raw forms, while value-addition to agricultural products is mostly on a small-scale secondary level.
• Still, the Ethiopian agriculture value-added net output increased by 46% during the period 2012–2017, from USD 10.5 billion to USD 15.3 billion.
• Currently, value-added products in Ethiopia include cotton yarn, manufactured coffee and tobacco, sisal products (yarn and twine), and wheat flour.
• In line with the 2025 Vision of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Cooperatives of Ethiopia, there should be at least two new products developed from each of the staple crops, horticultural crops, livestock, and fisheries by that year.