Addis Ababa: Ethiopia has launched the first-ever shipment of refrigerated fruits and vegetables to the European market, the Ministry of Agriculture disclosed. Ethio Vegfru, a private limited exporter and importer company, has officially launched shipments of Sugar Snap and Mangetout vegetable products to the Netherlands today in the presence of Agriculture State Minister, Sofia Kasa.
According to Ethiopian News Agency, Ethiopia is known for offering ideal climate conditions for the year-round cultivation of vegetables and fruit like mangos, grapes, and oranges. Speaking on the occasion, Managing Director and Founder of Ethio Vegfru, Tsegaye Abebe, indicated that 12 tons of Sugar Snap and Mangetout vegetable products will be delivered to the port of Djibouti, using a container equipped with modern refrigerators and new technology.
The fresh produce was loaded at Koka and will be transported to the Netherlands via the Ethio-Djibouti transport corridor within 23 days. This shipment is a milestone in the devel
opment of a cool logistics corridor for the export of fruit, vegetables, and other perishables by sea freight via the Port of Djibouti, it was learned.
Noting that Ethiopia has not yet exploited its full potential in the sphere of fruits and vegetables production, Tsegaye said that we should continue to produce vegetables and fruits on a large scale and increase the export destination markets. He also stressed the need for maximizing the utilization of the sector and further investments in fruits and vegetables production.
According to the managing director, starting the transportation of vegetable products by ship is a great move for Ethiopia in order to penetrate the global market. He also urged for redoubling the ongoing efforts and expanding the product as well as presenting it to the markets. Following the market destinations in European countries have reduced due to environmental protection factors, Tsegaye noted Ethiopia has already embarked on a big task by starting the shipments of various vegetabl
e products through using modern refrigeration containers.