Business opportunities in the Ethiopian fruit and vegetable sector

The horticultural sector in Ethiopia is growing strongly. Major part of this growth is created by investments in the floriculture sector. Recently more and more interest from the Dutch private sector is shown in the Ethiopian fruits and vegetable sector. Export of fruit and vegetables has been limited but is now growing strongly with new investors coming in. Both in Europe and the Middle East a growing interest exists for products from Ethiopia. Presently, the main export products are fresh beans, strawberries, tomatoes, courgettes, peppers and fresh herbs. A potential new crop is table grapes. The GoE gives high priority to the development of the horticulture sector and in 2008 the Horticultural Development Agency has been established with a specific focus to promote and support the further development of the horticulture sector. It is concluded that the further development of the Fruits and Vegetable sector in Ethiopia for export to Europe and the Middle East has good perspectives and provides interesting opportunities for foreign investors. The sector is however still in its infant stage. Facilitating conditions for doing business are not yet optimal, but are expected to improve in the near future