Chinese Government provides ETB 1.54 billion grant for Teff Mechanization Key Equipment and Technology Promotion Project

In 2017, the Chinese Academy of Agriculture Mechanization Sciences (CAAMS) and Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) regarding the Teff Mechanization Key Equipment and Technology Promotion Project. Under the terms of the MoU, CAAMS agreed to manufacture and transport 18 teff harvesters and threshing machines to Ethiopia with (its) own funds to further test the stability and applicability of the machinery in 3-5 locations selected by the Ethiopian MoA. This batch of equipment was successfully delivered on December 20, 2017. Then, on January 17, 2018, according to the Government of Ethiopia’s Aid Management Platform, the Chinese Government and the Government of Ethiopia signed a grant agreement worth ETB 1,542,033,131 for the Teff Mechanization Key Equipment and Technology Promotion Project. The purpose of this project, which will take place in Amhara region, Oromiya region, Tigray region, and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' (SNNP) Region, is to solve difficulties in mechanized planting, harvesting and threshing of teff and improve the mechanization rate of teff products. According to the AMP, Adama University is also involved in the implementation of this project. Teff, which is sometimes spelled tef, is an annual cereal grass grown for its tiny nutritious seeds. Teff is indigenous to Ethiopia and Eritrea, where it is a staple food crop to millions of people.

Additional details

1. The system identification number for this project in the Government of Ethiopia’s Aid Management Platform (AMP) is 87143496123047. 2. 1 Ethiopian Birr (ETB) was equal to 0.23 Chinese yuan (RMB) in January 2018, which implies that the ETB 1,542,033,131 grant commitment recorded in the AMP was worth approximately RMB 354,667,620 at the time that it was contracted.

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