Burao Prepares for Food Sustenance to Avoid Dependence on Imports

In Commemoration of World Food Day this week, there has been an increase in the number of modern farms in Burao, Somaliland. With the participation of many young agronomists and many investors in Agriculture, farmers are committed to avoiding food dependence from places outside their homes.

Burao is one of the largest cities in Somaliland which is very popular for its livestock trade as well as industries. But now, it is a far cry from what it used to be in the past. This explains why it has kickstart preparations to play a key role in the country’s agricultural productions.

Local farmers from the region have pledged their commitment to ensuring that the overdependence on imports is totally eliminated through a process of self-sufficient farming to be applied in the coming years.

Abdikadir Ibrahim Kayse is an agricultural expert who also advises farmers in the region on the development and implementation of modern agricultural practices. He said that they assist farmers to learn and apply the modern farming processes: ‘We support local Farmers with a new modern irrigation system including the drip irrigation system which many farmers use now. As we speak now, this region is in a revolutionary agricultural era which is different from the past.’

On the other hand, there exist certain challenges posed by modern farming to farm workers. In the past, you would need more people to irrigate every few meters, but now it’s different; one person can irrigate hundreds of meters using a drip irrigation system.

Mustafe Abdillahi who is an agronomist said if farmers increase their agricultural productions, the country’s economy will grow. He also called on the government to increase taxes on food from foreign countries so that local farmers would find a readily waiting market for their products and many more can start investing in agriculture: ‘This region is witnessing a revolution in agriculture, compared to the past. Agricultural productions have increased significantly although Ethiopian vegetables are competing with the local Products in the market’.

Mohamed Hassan is one of the longest serving farmers. He affirmed that there is clearly a noticeable difference between current farmers and those of the past: ‘In the past we used to work in the farm using hoes. Also, we did not have tractors and there was shortage of water. But now we use modern methods, including the drip irrigation system’.

If this move works out as planned, many people in the country will consume very cheap food, fruits and vegetables.