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May 28, 2025, EIAR, Addis Ababa
A training and consultation meeting on the Ethiopian variety release system and new variety release directive was held with the collaboration of Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) and Ethiopian Agriculture Authority (EAA) at Hiruy Hall, EIAR.
The Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research has made significant contributions over the past six decades by releasing different varieties of various crops which have improved the agricultural productivity of the country. Modernization of the Ethiopian Research on Crop Improvement (MERCI) project, which was being implemented over the past ten years with the support of the Gates Foundation has demonstrated substantial improvements in terms of modernizing the crop improvement endeavors of selected crops.
Dr. Fekadu Gurmu, the Crop Research Director at EIAR, emphasized in his welcoming speech that the consultation platform is distinguished by its ability to engage various stakeholders, particularly the National Variety Release Committee (NVRC) members. The engagement of these stakeholders indicates that the training and consultation can lead to effective discussions that yield beneficial outcomes.
In his opening remark, Professor Nigussie Dechassa, DG, EIAR, emphasized that the importance of the platform is critical in the process of upgrading, improving, and modernizing works of six crops that have already been initiated by Ethiopian Institute of agricultural research and the need to transfer the initiative to other crops in order to align it with the new variety release system.
The training and consultation program encompasses different paper presentations by high level experts from EIAR and other institutions including Professor Firew Mekbeb, the chairman of the NVRC and Mr. Fiseha Teshome and Dr. Dawit Tsegaye of the EAA.