Expanding Ethiopian agribusiness and trade

Ethiopia Agribusiness and Trade Expansion Program (ATEP)

Fintrac has a team of technicians disbursed through four regions of Ethiopia supporting the development of the oilseeds & pulses, coffee, hides/skins/leather and horticulture value chains. The ATEP program is reaching over 90,000 smallholders through alliances with critical public and private sector partners, including farmer associations, extension workers, processors, and major international buyers such as UK-based leather manufacturer Pittards and the US-based coffee importer Dominion Trading. In addition to building market-led supply and increasing domestic/regional/international sales, ATEP is addressing critical quality issues such as the eradication of livestock ectoparasites, establishing grading standards for sesame, improving production yields for pulses, introducing new horticultural products to European and Middle Eastern markets, and building domestic coffee grading capability. To date, the project has leveraged over $12.2 million in new investment to improve agricultural technologies and boost productivity, and has also established a public/private sector dialogue on competitiveness issues. The ATEP program, with the addition of new PEPFAR funding, is also providing HIV/AIDS prevention education at client farms and processing sites and is the primary partner of USAID and GOE in establishing an Ethiopian Commodity Exchange system for the trading of grains and pulses.