The “Arba Minch banana, Awi potato, and Chencha apple” branding for cooperative products was introduced by the Ethiopian Cooperatives Commission.
Cooperatives Commission in Southern Nations Nationalities and People’s state (SNNPs) Head Amriya Siraji stated that SNNPs is rich in diversified products and resources at the discussion forum held yesterday with the theme: “Branding Strategic Agricultural Commodities: Arba Minch Banana, Chencha Apple, and Awi Potato.” The banana from Arba Minch is organic, has a good flavor and quality, and has a long shelf life.
She continued by saying that branding would have a big impact on addressing issues with the marketing infrastructure, unfair marketing systems, bureaucratic red tape, unwanted brokers, and the like.
In an exclusive interview with The Ethiopian Herald, potato farmer Migebu Tarekegne from Dangela District, Awi Zone of Amhara State stated that before being supported by unions, farmers faced difficulties due to a lack of specialized seeds and other agricultural inputs. A number of issues were resolved once they were organized through unions.
“Although the union has addressed a number of issues, particularly in the course of producing products in terms of quality and quantity, a lack of market connectivity and infrastructural obstacles are emerging as serious issues in reaping the full benefits from the products.”He further said that if the aforesaid challenges are solved well and the brand is adequately promoted, farmers will obtain significant benefit through exporting products,” he underlined.
Similarly, the brand building program will soon launch new brands for goat, mango, and onion from the Somalia, Benishangul-Gumuz, and Oromia states, respectively.
