Extended Ethiopian Dry Season Reduced Strawberry Production and Led to Pre-contracting

The previous two quarters were extremely dry, long and challenging for many fruit and vegetable producers in Ethiopia, before the heavy rains started in mid June. In particular, the dry weather severely affected rain-fed agriculture due to lack of the usual short spring rain between February and April. The extended dry season reduced the water volume of small springs and rivers used for irrigation. Thus, it was difficult for strawberry producers to take care of their farm relying only on drip irrigation to raise their strawberry plants. As a result the production volume dropped dramatically which in turn led many buyers to pre-contract 3-4 months ahead of delivery time.