Agriculture in Somalia
Agriculture in Somalia (Somali: Beeraha Soomaaliya) is a major employment activity and is the largest economic sector in the country. It contributes more than 65% to the national GDP from domestic distribution and exports to other parts of the continent, the Middle East and Europe.
Pastoralism
Somalia's economy consists of both traditional and modern production, with a gradual shift in favor of modern industrial techniques taking root.[1] Agriculture is the most important economic sector. It accounts for about 65% of the GDP and employs 65% of the workforce.[2] Livestock alone contributes about 40% to GDP and more than 50% of export earnings.[3]
According to the Central Bank of Somalia, about 80% of the population are nomadic or semi-nomadic pastoralists, who keep camels, goats, sheep and cattle. The herders also gather resins and gums to supplement their income.[1]
Camel, sheep and goat herding are the main types of local pastoralism, particularly in the northern part of the country.
With the advantage of being located near the Arabian peninsula, Somali traders have increasingly begun to challenge Australia's traditional dominance over the Gulf Arab livestock and meat market, offering quality animals at very low prices. In response, Gulf Arab states have started to make strategic investments in the country, with Saudi Arabia building livestock export infrastructure and the United Arab Emirates purchasing large farmlands.[10] Most livestock is exported through the northern port of Bosaso as well as Berbera in neighbouring Somaliland. In March 2013, livestock traders also resumed exports from the southern Port of Mogadishu. After inspection at a newly constructed animal quarantine facility in Mogadishu, 13,000 goats and 2,435 camels were sent to markets in Egypt, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.[11]
A ten-year-old manufacturing, distributing, wholesale and import/export company, the Bosaso Tannery processes wet salted, dry salted, wet blue, limed, pickled, and air/frame dried sheep and goat hides and skin. It has some of the highest quality natural skins on the continent.[12][13] The firm exports a little over 90,000 tonnes of hides and skins every year from Bosaso to Ethiopia, Turkey, Pakistan, India, China and Italy.[12][14] Raw camel hides and sheep and goat skin are also dispatched to the United Arab Emirates.[15] The wet blue type is exported to the Middle East and various parts of Europe. As of 2012, the company is moving toward ready-made leather production for eventual exportation to consumer markets in the Middle East and other areas.[14]
In 2007, the Burao city authority in collaboration with development organizations and local traders opened the Burco Meat and Produce complex. Burao along with the nearby town of Yirowe are home to the largest livestock markets, known in Somali as seylad, in the Horn of Africa, with as many as 10,000 heads of sheep and goats sold daily, many of whom shipped to Gulf states via the port of Berbera.[16][17] The market handles livestock from all over the Horn of Africa.[18] One year in the making, the market has two main halls and can accommodate more than 2,000 merchants.[19] In conjunction with the Italian government, the Puntland authorities are also slated to open a new livestock market in Galkayo.[20]
In June 2014, the European Union (EU) and African Union InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) jointly launched the new Reinforcing Animal Health Services in Somalia (RAHS) project in Mogadishu. A 4 million EUR (US$5.4 million) program, it aims to promote livestock production for over 250,000 local pastoralists, further strengthen the capacity, quality, access and sustainability of national animal health services delivery, and sustain exportation. RAHS is also expected to support private sector development initiatives in the livestock industry, and to enhance public-private partnerships.[21]
According to the FAO, Somalia exported a record 5 million units of livestock to markets in the Gulf region in 2014. Valued at US$300 million, the exports included 4.6 million sheep and goats, 340,000 cattle and 77,000 camels. The enhanced trade was facilitated by greater sectoral investment by the Somali government in conjunction with the FAO, which centered on livestock infrastructure, livestock vaccination and treatment services, and fodder production. Additionally, modern slaughterhouses, meat and animal husbandry markets have buttressed the livestock commerce. In order to tap into value added livestock products, a program aimed at ameliorating the quality of milk production was also launched in the country's northwestern region, with assistance provided by the EU. In May 2015, 150 local workers are slated to receive further training by the FAO in leather curing.[22]
Farming
Somalia produced, in 2018, 209 thousand tons of
Somalia's farming areas are concentrated in the southern part of the country, in the
Principal crop exports include bananas; sugar, sorghum and corn are products for the domestic market.[24] According to the Central Bank of Somalia, imports of goods total about $460 million per year, and have recovered and even surpassed aggregate imports prior to the start of the civil war in 1991. Exports, which total about $270 million annually, have also surpassed pre-war aggregate export levels but still lead to a trade account deficit of about $190 million US dollars per year. However, this trade deficit is far exceeded by remittances sent by Somalis in the diaspora, which have helped sustain the import level.[1]
In mid-2010, Somalia's business community also pledged to invest $1 billion in the national economy industries over the following five years. Abdullahi Hussein, the director of the just-formed
In 2014, local farmers completed a program enabling them to begin selling for the first time high quality grain to the UN's WFP. Under the initiative, the cultivators received training from FAO and WFP experts on grading their grain, post-harvest handling, and warehouse and storage management. The aim was to strengthen the farmers' knowledge base and production capacity to meet international supply standards. By March of the year, cultivators from south-central Somalia had through the program sold 200 metric tons of high quality maize grain. According to Minister of Agriculture Abdi Ahmed Mohamed, the government is working to further rehabilitate the farming sector through both agricultural production and stabilization efforts. Farmers ultimately aim to move beyond local distribution and become a major grain supplier for the broader region.[26]
In March 2014, the Somali Producers' Conference and Exhibition (SOPEC) was held at Dubai's World Trade Center as part of an initiative by the federal government to promote Somali products from the farming, livestock and fisheries sectors in the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf state markets. In May of the year, commercial farmers also resumed banana exports to the Arabian peninsula. Additionally, they began exploring newer markets for their agricultural products in Kuwait and Dubai.[27]
In December 2014, the Ministry of Agriculture announced that it would commence a new water management project on the Shabelle River in 2015 in order to assist small scale cultivators. The initiative will in part see additional water channels dug so as to more effectively control river flows on farms.[28]
Fishing
Somalia has the longest coastline on the mainland.[29] Prior to the start of the civil war in 1991, the country had a number of fishing hubs. Tuna, lobster, and other high value marine stock were harvested locally for the domestic and international seafood markets. The government has since endeavoured to work with local communities to rebuild the fisheries industry and normalize trade.[30] To this end, fishing fleets from Europe and Asia have reached commercial fishing agreements in the northeastern Puntland region.[31]
In 2012, a team of engineers was also enlisted by the Puntland authorities to assess the ongoing renovations taking place at the Las Khorey port.[32] According to the Minister of Ports, Said Mohamed Rage, the Puntland government intends to launch more such development projects in the town.[33]
In April 2013, the Puntland Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources officially inaugurated a new fish market in
In September 2013, Puntland Minister of Fisheries Mohamed Farah Adan also announced that the Puntland government plans to open two new marine training schools in Eyl and Bandar Siyada (Qaw), another northeastern coastal town. The institutes are intended to buttress the regional fisheries industry and enhance the skill set of the Ministry's personnel and local fishermen.[35] Adan also indicated that the Ministry in conjunction with the FAO would open a new fish market in Bosaso, complete with modern refrigerators.[35]
In March 2014, Puntland President
In April 2014, a Somali federal government delegation including President
In June 2014, the Fisheries Minister of the Puntland State of Somalia Hasan Mahmoud announced that the Somali and Yemeni governments are slated to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to regulate fishing within Somalia's territorial waters by Yemeni fishermen. The Puntland and Yemeni Fisheries ministries are also scheduled to hold talks on bilateral cooperation, with the aim of preserving and effectively exploiting marine resources.[39]
In October 2014, in an extraordinary meeting in Mogadishu chaired by Second Deputy Speaker Mahad Abdalle Awad, the Federal Parliament passed a new Fishing Act. The law was forwarded to the legislature by the federal Ministry of Fisheries. Of the 140 lawmakers present at the parliamentary session, 135 MPs voted in favor of the bill, 2 voted against it, and 3 abstained.[40]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c d "Central Bank of Somalia - Economy and Finance". Archived from the original on 2009-01-24. Retrieved 2013-11-01.
- ^ "Guide to African Markets". British Chambers of Commerce. 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2010.
- World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 2009-05-14. Retrieved 2009-05-31.
- ^ ISBN 3825830845.
- ^ a b Zorloni, Alberto (1 August 2003). "Somali". Breeds of Livestock. Oklahoma State University. Archived from the original on 2012-07-02. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
- ISBN 9780231105491.
- ^ a b c "Somali". Sheep Breeds-S-St. Sheep101.info. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
- Oklahoma State University, Dept. of Animal Science. Archived from the originalon 2008-11-04. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
- ^ A. Nyanjom & J. Konyango, Certificate Agriculture Form 1, (East African Publishers), p.133.
- ^ The Arab countries demand Australian sheep and lamb Archived 2011-05-15 at the Wayback Machine - Farmonline
- ^ "Somalia: Somalia resumes livestock exports". Midnimo. 14 March 2013. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
- ^ a b "Bosaso Tannery". International Trade Centre. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 21 August 2013.
- ^ "Bosaso Tannery". Sell123. Archived from the original on 2 November 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
- ^ a b "Bosaso Tannery". Mohamed Diriye Hussein. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ^ "Bosaso Tannery". Gulf Business. Retrieved 22 August 2013.
- ^ Regulating the Livestock Economy of Somaliland. Academy for Peace and Development. 2002.
- ISBN 978-1-56902-228-3.
- ^ A Self-portrait of Somaliland: Rebuilding from the Ruins. Somaliland Centre for Peace and Development. 1999.
- ^ A New Market Complex for Burco, Togdheer
- ^ "Somalia: Italy pledges revival of stalled projects to Puntland". Garowe Online. 27 October 2013. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2013.
- ^ "EU, AU help promote Somalia's livestock health, export". Xinhua. 17 June 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ "Livestock export in Somalia hits record in 2014: UN agency". Xinhua. 29 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
- ^ Somalia production in 2018, by FAO
- ^ CIA - The World Factbook - Somalia (2008)
- ^ "Somalia business keen to join forces for peace". Af.reuters.com. 2010-05-23. Archived from the original on 2010-12-04. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
- ^ "Somalia Farming Revamped". SomaliCurrent. 6 March 2014. Archived from the original on 2014-03-06. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
- ^ "Somalia commences first Banana exports to Middle East after two decades of unrest". Garowe Online. 22 May 2014. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
- ^ "Out-going minister for Agriculture:Plans are in Place for river Shabelle Improvement in 2015". Goobjoog. 25 December 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ^ International Traffic Network, The world trade in sharks: a compendium of Traffic's regional studies, (Traffic International: 1996), p.25.
- ^ Puntland Marine Police Force Enters Eyl Archived 2016-03-24 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Better Off Stateless: Somalia Before and After Government Collapse
- ^ Somalia: Somaliland naval forces attack crew in Sanaag region Archived 2013-10-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Somalia: Puntland Minister of Ports visits Lasqoray". Garowe Online. 17 June 2012. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2012.
- ^ "Somalia: New Fish Market opens in Garowe". Garowe Online. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
- ^ a b "Somalia: Puntland to open maritime training schools". Garowe Online. 10 September 2013. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 4 October 2013.
- ^ a b c "Somalia: Puntland and FAO launch a new safe database for Somali Fishermen". Horseed Media. 27 March 2014. Retrieved 27 March 2014.
- ^ a b "European Union Ambassadors Meet Puntland's President For Talks On Maritime Priorities". EU NAVFOR. Retrieved 28 March 2014.
- ^ "The future of Somalian fishing". Fishupdate. 9 April 2014. Archived from the original on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
- ^ "Yemen, Somalia to sign MoU to regulate fishing". Horseed Media. 14 June 2014. Archived from the original on 3 July 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- ^ "Somalia: Federal parliament endorses fishing act". Goobjoog. 25 October 2014. Retrieved 26 October 2014.