Ethiopia prepares for new food processing and packaging event

ETHIOPIA, located in Eastern Africa, west of Somalia, imports food processing and packaging machinery more than any other country in Central and East Africa. For the past 10 years from 2004, it has exhibited among the fastest rising economies, registering 6% to 10% growth. According to IMF, it will see a real GDP growth of 8.5% this year to 2016.

Furthermore, the World Bank says that Ethiopian agriculture accounts for about 48% of gross domestic product (GDP) and 85% of exports. Local agriculture has increased in the years 2011 to 2014 by 4.9% until 9% annually.

Ethiopia has become the hub for the food trade in East and Central Africa. Ethiopian food imports have increased with an annual rate of 15%, from $0.866 billion in 2009 to $1.797 billion in 2014. Food exports increased by 20% annually to the current $2.9 billion.

In plastics and packaging machinery, Ethiopia is second in the region, recording an annual growth rate of 23% and 27% between 2010 and 2014. It is also the largest importer of plastics in primary forms with an annual growth rate of 46% between 2010 and 2014, reaching €527 million in 2014.

The country’s demand for agrofood, plastics and packaging is a magnet for private and public investment. Global brands like Heineken, Nestlé, and Unilever have invested in new food and beverage production facilities in Ethiopia.

Seeing the growing trend, the German fair trade organizer, fairtrade will launch International Trade Show on Agriculture, Food, Beverage and Plastics & Packaging Solutions and Technology for Ethiopia (agrofood plastpack Ethiopia), another venue for interested investors in Ethiopia. It will run from 4-6 October 2016 at the Millennium Hall.

Martin März, fairtrade CEO

“The idea to launch a professional platform especially for the Ethiopian business community was brought up by the exhibitors at our “agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria 2015” in Lagos last April. Now we are excited to create this new major platform for our long-term customers”, says Martin März, fairtrade’s CEO. “After a fact-finding mission to Addis Ababa and fruitful meetings with partners from industry, trade and service we are convinced, that this new business platform arrives perfectly in time.”

Fairtrade is also the organizer of the iran agrofood in Tehran since 1994 with 947 exhibitors and 33,200 visitors in 2015; plast & printpack alger 2014 with 150 exhibitors from 23 countries and 2,500 visitors and agrofood & plastprintpack Nigeria in Lagos in April 2015 featuring 91 exhibitors and 1,349 visitors.