Our big Open Field Day was held on January 31 2015, aimed at offering an “on the ground” demonstration of the potential of Hazera’s hybrid vegetable seeds.

The site of the Field Day was located 525 km to the east of the capital Addis Ababa, and 10 Km from the Diredawa Administration Shenili Zone Agropeace Farm. The event was organized in collaboration with Greenlife Trading PLC, Dire Farmers Union and the Diredawa Administration Agriculture Bureau.

The event was attended by more than two hundred participants, ranging from farmers, agricultural professionals, extension workers, investors, media professionals, NGOs, University staff members – from the Dire Dawa Administration, Harare Region, Somalia region and East Harereghe Oromia region.

Mr. Jawadat Badawieh, Hazera’s Head of the Middle East & Africa Commercial Division Business Unit from Israel, and Green Life PLC’s agronomist, showed growers the varieties that the company has developed especially for open field cultivation, and conducted tours of the fields. The field tours enabled participants to see the varieties close up and learn about their growing conditions and yield potentials, as well as hear about the disease resistances of the varieties. The crops on display at the Open Day included tomatoes, onions, peppers, cabbage and lettuces.

A variety of brochures and booklets providing explanations and descriptions of the varieties registered in Ethiopia were distributed among the participants, who seemed extremely satisfied with the event, during which they received an introduction and valuable information about the varieties on show, as well as learned about their growing methods.

Since the event, we have seen increased demand for the varieties that were shown at the Open Field Day.

We have also seen growing interest in drip irrigation technology, in addition to the demand for Hazera seeds.

Derese Fikru – Senior Agronomist