Mekelle, Ethiopia - Millennium Cities Initiative - Columbia University

Mekelle, Ethiopia: Potential Opportunities for Investment 43
Out-of-season fruit grown for export
The Mekelle region presents attractive opportunities for growing
selected varieties of fruit and vegetables to supply Middle East and
European markets.
Favourable agroclimatic
conditions
The climatic conditions of the Mekelle
region are particularly good for certain
types of tropical and sub-tropical fruit.
The region is considered to possess
favourable soil types, climate and altitudes
for growing pomegranates, grapes,
avocados, mangos and other fruit.
The Mekelle region is a highland area
with altitudes of 2,200–2,600 metres,
consistent climatic conditions and long
hours of sunshine, enabling almost
uninterrupted, reliable year-round
fruit production.
The temperature remains stable during
the year, with an average daily maximum
of 23–27ºC and minimum of 10–12ºC.
“You can grow almost any type of
fruit over there [Mekelle region];
however, you need to perform a
detailed feasibility study to select
what particular fruit is best suited
for a particular location.”
Investor planning to grow fruit in the
Mekelle region
Suitable land plots are
available at low cost
There are a number of large (greater
than 50 hectares) land plots available for
investors with access to water, asphalted
roads and power supply.
There is around 2,500 hectares of land
suitable for horticulture within a 30–
100 km distance from Mekelle. More than
330 hectares of land has good quality
water resources for surface irrigation; the
remaining area can be irrigated using a
combination of underground and surface
water resources.
“There are plenty of land plots
available in Tigray State. We have been
offered five land plots in the Mekelle
region and now we need to perform
soil and water tests to select the
most suitable area for growing export
quality avocados.”
International investor with extensive
horticulture experience in the Middle
East, Latin America and Africa
Favourable location to
serve export markets
Mekelle has a more favourable location
for export compared to the Addis Ababa
region, due to its proximity to the Djibouti
port via the Mekelle-Djibouti road.
Key Ethiopian fruit and vegetable export
markets —Djibouti, the Middle East and
the EU — are accessible via the Djibouti
border/Djibouti port.
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