Tog Wajaale plain is a vast area fit for production of different crops, especially wheat production. The area receives annual rain fall of 20 inches equal to the rainfall of Australian wheat production area. The way they prepare the land is different from ours. After harvest, they cover the grown with husks from the grain to moisturize the soils.
It is obvious that our traditional food is no longer popular. People shifted to rice and spaghetti both of which imported with hard currency. The country can hardly afford to spend the limited hard currency available on food items that can be produced locally. On the other side of the plain across the boundary with Ethiopian Somali State, wheat is grown in vast area. Farmers switched production of wheat, because they get incentive price from spaghetti factory which buys the wheat are given cash on the spot while the cost of the harvest deducted.
In order to make the project viable, effort should be made to convince the Somaliland Entrepreneurs to invest middle size spaghetti factory to process the wheat and turn to spaghetti. The project will generate enough money both for the investors and farmers.
I’m presenting identification project which needs further analysis of costs/benefits. The major costs involves are the setup of the factory and purchase of the harvesters. Since land preparation is no longer done by animal power, inclusion of two tractors rented by the farmers are needed.
This is an agro-industry project which is more appropriate to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for implementation.
It is apparent that there is a decline of farming population in the country. They moved to cities to look for better pay. The project of this kind will encourage them to go back to farming.as long as they get better pay for their production.
Another agro-industry crop that is missing in Somaliland agriculture is sesame production.
Sesame produces oil seeds which is highly demanded in Arabia markets. It grows well in dry land farming. Farmers retain the flow of rain water and when the soil is still wet they put seeds on the sides of each ridge and later thin the plant. It is technically better to make the ridges by a tractor. Extraction of oil from sesame seeds requires a machine. Sudan grows the largest Sesame production and while the oil extracted is used locally, they export the raw sesame to Arabia.
Mohamed Hersi Bahal
