• Ethiopia allocates about $15 million to expand farm mechanization
• New equipment includes tractors, irrigation systems, and rice threshers
• The move supports efforts to raise productivity and reduce manual labor

Ethiopia has allocated about $15 million in agricultural equipment to support farm mechanization across its regional states, the Ministry of Agriculture said on March 22.

The package, valued at 2.32 billion birr (about $14.7 million), includes 63 tractors, 71 power tillers, 150 rice threshers, solar-powered irrigation systems, and additional logistics and IT equipment to improve farm management, according to the Ethiopian News Agency.

The initiative is part of the government’s Medemer strategy, launched in 2018 to drive economic transformation.

Agriculture Minister Addisu Arega said expanding mechanization remains a top priority. He said modern equipment will help increase productivity, improve product quality, strengthen Ethiopia’s competitiveness in global markets, and support national food security.

The program is also expected to reduce reliance on manual labor and animal traction, which still dominate farming practices across the country.

Official data shows that about 5 million hectares of farmland were cultivated using tractors in 2025, representing around 27% of Ethiopia’s total arable land, estimated at 18.4 million hectares, according to the FAO.

As part of its long-term strategy, the government plans to more than triple its fleet of agricultural machinery. The number of tractors is expected to rise from 20,000 at the start of 2025 to 65,000, while combine harvesters are projected to increase from 2,700 to 15,000.

Stéphanas Assocle