Ethiopian officials learning Korea’s food reserves policy

Ethiopian government officials are studying Korea’s farm policy and know-how in securing food reserves efficiently, Seoul officials said Tuesday.

The African country dispatched a delegation of high-profile officials to Korea, seeking inputs to deal with food security issues, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The eight-member delegation, led by Mirafe Marcos, chief of staff of the Agricultural Transformation Agency, and Misrak Mamo, director general of the Strategic Food Reserve Agency, arrived on Jan. 25 for a weeklong discussion on managerial system and technology for food reserves.

Establishing an efficient food reserve system has been one of the key agendas of the Ethiopian government, according to food security experts, as the lack of sustainable food reserves has threatened the country’s food security. According to a 2013 report by the Swiss-based NCCR Trade Regulation, the core challenges of Ethiopia’s food security stems from poor distribution and policies.

“We were requested (by the Ethiopian counterparts) to share Korea’s know-how in increasing the efficiency of strategic food reserve policies, especially by fostering a strong partnership between the state and local business entities,” the Agriculture Ministry said.

“The event marks the first time Korea is sharing its provision of the food reserve system with a foreign country,” the ministry added, pointing out that both parties will hold a meeting Wednesday to primarily cover the (Korean) state control on strategics grain reserves.

The Korea-Ethiopia agricultural cooperation is supported by Korea’s International Development Cooperation, led by the prime minister. The IDC is currently engaged in partnership with 26 developing countries, including Ethiopia, to promote sustainable economic development on the global level. 

By Chung Joo-won (joowonc@heraldcorp.com)