February 20, 2016HAMBURG: The Ethiopian government has issued an international tender to purchase 70,000 tonnes of milling wheat from optional origins as the country continues to build up its food reserves following a serious drought, European traders said on Friday.
Finance for the purchase is being provided by the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) and other aid agencies, they said.
Ethiopia has issued a series of wheat tenders in past months, including a giant 1 million tonne tender in October 2015. Its last tender for 70,000 tonnes closed in early January.
Failed rains during spring and summer 2015 have sparked food and water shortages in the African nation, which boasts one of the continent’s highest growth rates but depends heavily on farming.
On Jan.31, Ethiopia urged international donors to offer aid promptly for relief operations to support 10.2 million people critically short of food.
Ethiopia and the African Development Bank (AfDB) signed on Feb.3 loan agreements amounting to approximately $325 million.
The agreements were signed between the finance and economic cooperation state minister, Ahmed Shide, and Josephine Ngure, resident representative of African Development Bank Ethiopia Group.
According to Ahmed, the first loan agreement amounting to 5.3 billion birr will be used for the implementation of Basic Service Transformation Programme.
