Ethiopia launches new variety of perennial sorghum

Addis Ababa – Ethiopian scientists have developed a new variety of sorghum that could yield multiple yields each year.

According to the National Statistics Agency in Ethiopia, the country has nearly two million hectares of sorghum fields and harvests about four million tons of sorghum annually.

The new variety of sorghum should produce two to three times a year with a continuous supply of water and at least once in case of water shortage, said Gethaun Mekuriya. Minister of Science and Technology, at the release of the new variety in Ethiopia last month (June 28). Talegeta Loul, general manager of Re-nature Eternal Life Agro Processing SC, based in Ethiopia, said that the average national yield of sorghum is about 2,400 kilograms per hectare, but that the new variety could multiply by five the yields.

According to Loul, this characteristic is that it can produce yields for seven to ten years of growth without the need for plowing.

Loul, who led the research team to produce the new variety of sorghum, told SciDev.Net: "We have struggled enough to give a result to this country where the majority of the population depends on agriculture for food and livelihoods. "

According to Loul, the research team received a small grant from the Ethiopian Ministry of Science and Technology in May 2015 which facilitated genetic processing cereal crops such as sorghum and teff – an ancient cereal from Ethiopia and Eritrea that is ground into flour and used to make traditional bread and injera: a flat and crinkly stuffing [19659008] "The benefit of this new variety is … that once you've sown it, you do not need to cultivate the land before five years," Loul said, adding that the cultivation of sorghum preserves the environment and prevents Taye Tadesse, national coordinator of sorghum research at the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute, told SciDev.Net that if the new variety is distributed to smallholders and used properly, it could increase yields.

Tadesse said that sorghum is a dominant crop in most areas of northern Ethiopia, and that it plays a major role in the livelihoods of local communities. "It's used for food, local drinks and livestock feed," Tadesse said. "In fact, this area is known as the sorghum belt and its conditions are ideal for maximizing sorghum yields."

"Improving Sorghum Yields Across the Country [is great] Researchers and Development Officers Need to Work with Farmers to Develop and Promote Better Sorghum Production Practices."

He added that Other African countries need perennial sorghum varieties to ensure the continent's food security. by the English SciDev.Net Office for Sub-Saharan Africa