The latest CSA Consumer Price Index indicate that the cost of living reached the highest rate in a six-year period (since 2014) increasing to 22.6 per cent following the confirmation of Ethiopia’s first case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. The inflation of food prices reached 26.9 %
COVID-19 has significantly affected the prices of food items in Ethiopia due to distractions along the food value chain e.g., processing, transportation between rural and urban areas which leads to higher prices in urban areas which can affect food access for poorer households.
A team of agricultural experts of the Jimma University, Ethiopia, in its study entitled “Covid-19 probable impacts on Ethiopian agriculture and potential mitigation and adaptation measures: no food – no health – no life” published in April 2020 has indicated that the current pandemic of Covid-19 has a potential to increase the food insecurity of the country due to resource mobilization towards prevention of the disease, movement restriction subsequently affecting food production, transport, processing and consumption patterns.
According to IFPRI Blog: research post, April 19, 2020 urban consumption of fruits and vegetables is declining that trade is affected by travel bans and reduced competition, and that farmers face lower prices and reduced access to inputs. With the same blog, the dairy value chain particularly raw milk vendors and small dairy shop in Addis Ababa have been hit hard due to the pandemic
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture call up-on its development partners and develop Agriculture sector response plan to COVID-19 with the major content of COVID 19 pandemic risk diagnostics in the agriculture sector, major interventions to mitigate the risk of Covid19 pandemic in Agriculture sector with estimated budget.
So as to ensuring minimal disruption in flow of agricultural products and inputs with appropriate actions in transport/logistics and procurement the government of Ethiopia give priority and take action on the following:
Remove unnecessary and/or illegal check points/taxes/other payments through the coordinated effort of federal, regional, and local authorities and institute expedited COVID-19 related checks to further reduce delays on the road.
Keep markets open with clear and enforced sanitization procedures and appropriately scheduled closed days to implement those procedures.
Minimize the operational burden on retailers in the form of regulations which, though appropriate in normal times, discourage operators under the current difficult circumstances – up-to-date licenses, tax arrears, …
Alongside private markets, set up food distribution centres (such as the kebele/lower administration level) outlets particularly in urban areas to provide food for households with considerable decline in incomes
Encouraging and supporting local civil societies and neighborhood organizations to engage in the mobilization and distribution of food assistance as appropriate. ( for instance; Addis Ababa City Administration has launched a network of what it calls ‘food banks’ at sub-kebele level to mobilize and distribute food and other resources to the needy)
Mr. Mebit Kebede