Addis Ababa, July 20, 2026 (FMC) — Ethiopia is making progress in expanding its livestock value chain as efforts intensify to increase the contribution of processed animal products to the country’s export earnings, the Ministry of Agriculture said.
The ministry disclosed that more than 24,000 tons of processed animal products were exported during the 2025/26 fiscal year, generating 128.4 million US dollars in revenue.
Minister of Agriculture Fikru Regasa said the country had set a target of exporting 25,900 tons of processed animal products during the fiscal year, while 24,200 tons were ultimately supplied to international markets.
He said the export performance generated 128.4 million US dollars in earnings, reflecting continued efforts to strengthen livestock development and value addition.
Fikru noted that although encouraging progress has been recorded through increased attention to livestock development, the current results remain below the level Ethiopia could achieve given its extensive livestock resources.
He called on stakeholders across the livestock value chain to enhance their participation and work collectively to improve production, processing, and export performance.
Director General of the Animal Development Institute Asrat Tera said closer collaboration between producers and exporters is crucial to consolidating the achievements made in the export trade of animal products.
He said Ethiopia had planned to supply 2.36 million slaughter animals, mainly sheep and goats, to export abattoirs during the fiscal year, and the actual supply reached 2.4 million through coordinated efforts among stakeholders.
The Ministry of Agriculture’s Public Relations and Communications Executive Yimer Dawud told Fana Digital that continued measures will be taken to further increase revenue from processed animal product exports.
He added that the Animal Development Institute held a review discussion on the implementation of the 2018 fiscal year plan and preparations for the 2019 fiscal year plan, with the participation of federal and regional officials, producers, and exporters.