Yara has insalted the people of Ethiopia over their hunger and luck of Democracy.

REPORTER, I know now who you are ???

Email: me_mo_et@hotmail.com

City: Addis Ababa

I was real ashamed by the content of Amare Aegawi's reporting on the incident. I have for quite long been a proud reader of both the amharic and the english versions of mcc's publications for more than 9 years. BUT, this time around I have stopped reading this paper 'cus it have lost the essence of objective reporting and is turning it self to another edition of 'ABYOTAWI DEMOCRACY'...organ of EPRDF.

He should know that he can not achieve its wish of opinion shapping in the line of woyane's interest. He should also be aware of the fact that the Ethiopian people have become astute aware to the facts on the ground. He should once again be aware that aftenpost and other Norwegian presses are much more closer and has the ethics and purpose of ethical reporting and hence we shall believe the reported figure 1,200 attendants with out any doubt while we send Amare's scrap down the toilet.

Dil LeEthiopia Hizb.

Email: aggune@yahoo.com

City: Addis Ababa

Indeed, Meles deserves fully The Green Revolution Award.
The following Statement is worth reading.

Statement by PM Meles Zenawi at the ceremony of the first YARA prize






Your Excellency Mr. Thorleif Enger, CEO, Yara International and Chairman of the Yara Foundation,

Members of the Board of Yara Foundation,

Your Excellency Mr. Norman Birlaug the father of the Green Revolution,

My friend Jeffrey Sachs,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am elated to be here with your today to be the first recipient of the yara prize for the Green Revolution in Africa. I thank the Yara Foundation for establishing the prize, which will encourage Africans in their difficult but noble cause of achieving the Green Revolution in Africa. I thank the board of directors of the Yara Foundation for honoring me and the Ethiopian peasant farmers by giving us the great prize. I have no doubt in my mind that the award was intended not so much to reward me personally for my government's commitment to the African Green Revolution, but to encourage the Ethiopia peasant farmers, the ultimate owners and architects of the green revolution in Ethiopia and to recognize their Herculean efforts to achieve food security. I am proud to receive this prize on their behalf.

Switch on your TV, and on the rare occasions when there is some report on Ethiopia what you see is sparsely clad skeleton figures. In most instances, the skeleton figures are stretching their hands for food aid. This image has been relayed over and over again since 1985. Of late, and on rare occasions, the sparsely clad skinny young men and women could be Ethiopian long distance runners: long distance runners who do not appear to tire of running and running: long distance runners whose determination to win is extraordinary. They run and run as if hunger is chasing them every stem of the way. In spite of the slight variation that has been introduced in recent years, the basic them of the news coverage on Ethiopia for two decades has remained the same --- hunger and destitution.

People gathered here today, and those who read press reports about it are being told of a very different story ---- of a Green Revolution in Ethiopia, A Green Revolution in Ethiopia indeed! For many people that in nothing sort of a contradiction in terms. Which on of those images is the true image of Ethiopia? I am afraid both tell a part of the reality. The image of a hungry and destitute Ethiopia is an image that unfortunately is based on reality, but only part of the reality in my country. The Green Revolution in Ethiopia is also part of our reality, a reality that unfortunately very few people have heard of.

I have already said how elated I am to receive this prize. At least half of the reason for my happiness is related to the fact that you in the Yara Foundation recognized to other half of our reality through the blinding and deafening cacophony of commentary and reportage on the unending Ethiopia hunger and chose to highlight it. You did not go for the easy options, green revolution in countries which have no such image problems. You went for the truth and that is always difficult and always needs noble spirits to fetch it.

Let me give you a few facts and figures about agricultural development, and in particular crop production in my country over the past decade or two. In the cropping season of 1984-85, during the height of the infamous great Ethiopia famine, the total production of crops in my country was 44,317,600 quintals, in the cropping season of 1991-92, when we removed the Mengistu regime and took over the reigns of government, the total production of crops in my country was 53,039,700 quintals. In the last cropping season, that of 2004-05, the total production of crops in our country was 119,057,400 quintals. In other words, crop production in 2004-2005 had increased by 170% when compared to 1984-85 and by 124% when compared to the out put when we took over, in 1991-92. It has more than doubled over the past decade or so.

Crop production in general and, cereal production in particular, is central to the livelihoods of our peasant farmers and the urban poor. Over the past decade or so not only has crop production in general more than doubled, but its composition has begun to shift towards higher value cash crops such as oil seeds. The figures tell the story better.

In 1984-85 the total production of oil seeds in our country, which at that time also included the limited production of cereals was 38,633,800 quintals. In 1991-92 by which time the figures do not include the production in Eritrea, the total production of cereals in our country was 45,671,300 quintals, whereas that of oil seeds was 1,379,400 quintals. In 2004-2005 the production of cereals was 100,279,600 quintals, while that of oil seeds was 5,315,400 quintals. Thus while cereal production had increased by 160% compared to 84-85 and by 120% compared to 91-92 oil seeds production had increased by 444% compared to 84-85 and by 285% compared to 91-92

The achievements in Ethiopia in the area of crop production over the past decade and the more than doubling of production, is of course nothing to sneer at. Clearly that is your conclusion as manifested by the prize you have given me, and through me, the architects of this achievement, the Ethiopian peasant farmers. I fully agree with you, for otherwise I would not be here. But I am sure you will agree with me that, in the Ethiopian context, doubling crop production over a decade is simply not good enough. It is partly because such a result is not good enough that Ethiopia continues to be the symbol of hunger and destitution. I believe your prize is intended to highlight that too, and to encourage all of us to do more, much more than we have done over the past decade.

As they have been intimately involved in our war against hunger, a number of my friends here know how we achieved those results, and that we failed to do more. However, some others here may not be as well informed. Allow me, therefore, to very briefly outline what we have done so far.

The first thing we did, our very first and perhaps most essential reform, was to let our peasant farmers sell their products freely after the Mengistu regime had denied them those rights and robbed them of their produced. At the same time, we took care that farmers retained their security of tenure and were able to be the full beneficiaries of the fruit of their labour. I believe that created the right incentive system to encourage the farmer to do more improve their livelihood.

Based on what we feel was creating the right incentive system, we tried to introduce improved agricultural technologies that fit our requirements, Low tech, labour intensive technologies in the area of soil and moisture management, agro forestry and yield improvement. These are off the shelf technologies made available to us by partners most particularly the sasakawa Global 2000 group and the Earth Institute of Columbia. We did not feel we have to reinvent the wheel. We simply carried out pilot programs to test whether these off the shelf technologies would work in our case, and once the technologies have proved their mettle, we would go far a quick and massive scaling-up of the program.

Introducing improved technologies to the rural areas on a mass scale required establishing an effective agricultural extension network, and we have done that. While continuing to improve the quality of our extension workers, we have also tried to provide primary education to our people. When we took over the primary school attendance rate in our country was less than 20%. At the moment, it is close to 90% and over 85% of the new schools we have built, since we took over, have been built in the rural areas.

Green revolution with out commercialization of agriculture is difficult to imaging. Our strategy has, therefore, been designed to promote commercialization of small- scale farming. That in the first instance meant freeing up rural markets. While freeing up rural markets was a crucial initial step, it was far from sufficient. Rural roads, telephone links, electric power had to be made available. Marketing cooperatives had to be encouraged. We have tried to do our very best to build the physical and institutional infrastructure, but largely due to resource constraints we have been unable to do much.

Every time we have good crops, agricultural prices would collapse and farmers in surplus producing areas would suffer. We were moving in a vicious cycle of localized glut in crop products followed by a collapse in prices. This was followed by reduction in growth and improved prices and onto increased production and price collapse. Due to resource constraints we were unable to intervene in the market to even out fluctuations in prices. We, there fore, encouraged farmers in surplus producing areas to grow more cash crops that can be exported. Our exports have soared, increasing by 24% and over 30% consecutively for the past two years.

Your Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is through a combination of such steps that we have achieved the success that you have recognized and for which we have been honored with the yara prize. We, however, face a number of critical challengers as we embark on our struggle to do away with hunger definitively. Two challenges are in my view of particular significance.

The first challenge, and perhaps the most important one, has been that of implementation capacity. Identifying appropriate technologies and testing them in our country is of course an important challenge. But with the support of some of our partners, identifying the appropriate ones from the shelf of available technologies globally has not been such a difficult task. Implementing pilot projects to test what works and what does not work through such an exercise has not been that difficult either. There is an army off NGO's both in Ethiopia and else where who are good at running pilot projects. What has proved to be a critical test of our implementation capacity has been the scaling-up of those pilot projects that have proved their mettle.

Ethiopia, like many African courtiers is strewn with all sorts of very successful pilot projects, that have remained as pilot projects for decades. This is so partly because some of them are so expensive and skill intensive that they cannot be replicated on a mass scale. These are the so-called permanent pilot projects. I believe that the main reason, however, is that governments have not been able to identify the scalable pilot projects and quickly and massively replicate them. Without such scaling up there can be no green revolution, and with out the implementation capacity, there cannot be such scaling-up.

The implementation capacity required for such scaling-up must be available, firstly, in the communities involved in the programs and, secondly, in local government structures. While we have been very actively involved in building the implementation capacity at the local level, practice has proved to us that it takes time to build it. Our attempt to build such capacity has been hampered not only by the limited number of trained and experienced manpower that we have at the local level, but also because of the modus operandi of many of our development partners.

Many of our development partners insist on very complex and management intensive modalities as a condition for their development assistance and almost every one of them have their own modalities reflecting their priorities and idiosyncrasies. These modalities require manpower that is capable of navigating through their complexities and such man power is not and cannot be made available in adequate numbers in our ministries, let alone in our local government. Beefing up our implementation capacity at the community and local government level has also been hindered by the insistence of some of our partners that the task of scaling-up be implemented by NGOs. Practice in our country and elsewhere has shown that scaling-up and NGOs do not go together, but that has not changed the attitude of our partners.

The second challenge is that of resources. The Green Revolution requires commercialization and commercialization, among other things, requires infrastructure, physical and institutional. Rural roads, electric power and telecommunication, portable water supply systems, schools and primary health care facilities, storage facilities, and marketing cooperatives, all require financial resources. We have not been able to mobilize the required resources for all these. Part of the reason has been our failure to adequately mobilize our financial and labour resources. The other and perhaps more important reason has been that our partners have been unable or unwilling to come up with the resources both in terms of quantity and quality. Indeed conditionality that some of our partners, including the IMF, insist on have hindered our effort to mobilize domestic financial resources for massive scaling-up activities.



Your Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The next five years are likely to be of pivotal significance in the fight against hunger in our country. My party, which ahs earned the mandate to govern for the next five years, has put in place its plans for intensifying the Green Revolution by focusing on overcoming the main challenges that I have outlined above.

In terms of beefing up implementation at community and local government level, we plan to expand rural primary education so that by the end of the five years over 90% of our rural youth will attend primary schools. We intend to expand the network of agriculture training schools so that all of those who compete primary school will have the opportunity to be trained in various agricultural trades for three to six months. We intend to insure that our youth engaged in small-scale agriculture will have the necessary schooling and skills to be successful small-scale commercial farmers able to adequately absorb a steady stream of improved technologies. We intend to provide primary health care to all our people in the rural areas by the end of the five years. We intend to devolve more power and to train and assign more people to local government. We plan to use the expertise on NGO's in pilot projects and insist that scaling-up be carried out by the communities and local government.

We intend to provide access to telecommunication to all our rural centers and provide electric power to 50% over the next five years. We hope to connect over 70% of our villages to an all weather rural road. To do that, we intend to mobilize our own labour and financial resources to the maximum extent possible. We plan to make that a non- negotiable part of our partnership with our development partners. We also hope that our partners will chip in with more and bettered development assistance. The hope and challenge is to double our crop production not over a decade but over the next five years and transform our rural areas. That is a very ambitious target. But I am confident that with your support we can achieve it. That brings me to how we can use the sizeable prize money that you have given me to contribute to the achievement of our goals. I have thought about how best to use the money and could not come up with a better idea than promoting the education of poor girls in the rural areas. While primary education is free and available with in a range of a few kilometers, secondary education is not available in every village. Many families in the rural areas cannot afford to send their children to neighboring towns to attend secondary education. Those that can afford to send one or two of their children to high school prefer to send their boys and many of our bright rural girls are left behind.

I believe a 100 Birr of roughly 9 dollars per month for ten months a year would be enough to get a girl to attend high school, Just 90 dollars per pear would be enough for one academic year. 360 dollars is all that is required to get a rural girl to complete here high school. I intend to use all the 200,000 dollars for the purpose. This will provide a sort of a scholarship to needy rural girls from every part of our country to attend and completed their high school. The prize you have given us today will thus change the lives of at least 550 lucky girls. And who knows I may hit the jackpot some time in the future and extend the scholarship to thousands of others. May I, therefore, once again thank you on behalf of those 550 young girls whose lives you have decided to brighten and transform.

I Thank You

Email: voice_ethiopians_concerned@yahoo.com

City: Addis Ababa

The following news is worth reading.

Diplomats of Different Opinion On Report

The Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa)
NEWS
September 2, 2005
Posted to the web September 2, 2005

By Dagnachew Teklu
Addis Ababa

Diplomatic community members here are expressing differences of opinion on the recently released EU Election Observers Mission (EU-EOM) report in Ethiopia.

Diplomats including of EU member countries who spoke with The Daily Monitor said that the recently released report of the Election Observer Mission in Ethiopia has been a topic of discussion.

"It was being discussed among various members of the diplomatic community. We all didn't show similar stand against the report. Some of us have observed minor problem in the report," some diplomats said.

They said that some parts of the report did not clearly identify the problems that were included in the report.

"We all know that there were some problems in the process, particularly after the voting day. It was admitted even by the EPRDF. But some problems have been included in the report as they were reported or handed to the EU observer's mission. It [the mission] didn't say that the observers have witnessed the reported problems. Why didn't they put it in black and white rather than saying 'it was reported to the mission?'" the diplomats asked.

The diplomats who spoke on conditions of anonymity indicated that the report lacks depth facts about what was happening on the ground after the election, particularly during the investigation of the election process.

"The report stated the complaints investigation process as it was conducted in the context of "serious violation of human rights and freedoms". But the report didn't mention in detail what kind of human rights violation took place during the complaints investigation process. It didn't put any figure about the "detained" people and those who were denied access to give testimonies," they said.

They pointed out that there was some contradictory issues about the killing of one witness. The report put it as the person was killed after giving testimony.

"The opposition said before the report that the person was killed before giving his witness to the investigation body. The EU report however put other facts on the same issue. This is a serious mistake. The EU report didn't even put the exact day of the killing and other related issues. These things leave a question about the quality of the report," the diplomats said.

It is to be recalled that the European Union (EU) Election Observer Mission said the May 15 Ethiopian national elections, failed to meet international standards. However the diplomats indicated that it is still premature to talk about any international standard election in Africa and any other developed world for that matter.

"What we can say about this issue is that there are still problems in the western countries and the US. We can't say that the elections in Europe and USA are100 per cent fair and free. The Western and the Americans themselves are saying it time and again."

The mission will deliver its final report to the NEBE and political parties about the election (comprising recommendations and evaluation) by September 23rd 2005.

Meanwhile, the United States on Wednesday criticized "irregularities" in Ethiopia's contested parliamentary elections but called on all parties to resolve their differences peacefully.

State department delivered the US position nearly a week after the European Union (EU) said the May 15 polls did not meet international standards in several key respects, including investigations into fraud.

Opposition parties are expected to announce their final stand on either joining the parliament or boycotting it before the end of September.

They are currently conducting public forums throughout the country with their supporters and members to come to conclusion on the decision.




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Copyright © 2005 The Daily Monitor. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
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Email: voice_ethiopians_concerned@yahoo.com

City: Addis Ababa

A short comment on the Oslo protest by Ethiopians , against the "Yara award". Ethiopians from Scandinavia and representatives from other European cities were present to demonstrate against the poison clad commerciial award of Yara to Meles Zenawi on 3 September. The demonstration was well organised, civilised and prompt. I take this opportunity to thank the organisers of the demonstration and congratulate them for the success of their endeavours. I myself with 39 other compatriots attended the demonsrtration against Yara from Stockholm. The former head of "Ethiopian Television",under the Woyane, and now the owner and editor of the "Reporter" should correct his misinformed report about the numbers of demonstrators and the entire scene at the venue of the "prize giving presentation". His old master and school friend Meles Zenawi, was forced to arrive and leave Oslo like a mouse running from a cat .
The demonstration was well attended and very vocal. Sach who may have decided to practice his economic theories on the back of destitutes and vulgarise his theory by tapping money philosophising about poverty with his acknowledged friend , should be embarrassed , if he has the modesty to do so, at associating himself with this discredited and vulgarised scene of commercilism. As to the Nobel lautreate who was alo present at the commercial ceremony, I direct readers of this comment to view his role and collaboration with the Nazi hordes during World War 2.
I must also conclude my comment by mentioning the source of Amare Aregawi. It was his mouthpiece from the Ethiopian Embassy in Stockholm. I also wonder where he got he news of supporters of Meles being present at the scene of the demonnstration. They were non to be seen on the scene. Correct your statement also on this count.

Email: sunn@chello.se

City: Stockholm

Guys,

Do you have to complain and protest any thing This Government or its leader does.??? the "Green revolution award" is an award given to Ethiopia and its people not only for the Prime Minster. We should all be proud of that. For me, this award wotrh 100 times more than that of the Olympic medal. I've been regular at this forum for quite some time now. During this time, I noticed that most of the people who do participate have some big problem of their own. Their idea is " ene kemotku serdo aybkel" they always preach Violence and would like to see the country soaked in to bloodshed that results from the current political turmoil. These puppets follow their laeaders blindly. The two main opposition parties in Ethiopia are led either by Hailu Shawel who is Hodam Amhara feudal & Derg puppet who served the bloody regime for 9-1/2 years.Of this time as a minster for 5 years , or the butcher of Addis Meison leader Negede gobeze and the butcher of Ambo Derg's cadre Merera Gudina, or the killer of innocent Ethiopians EPRP's top man Mersha yosef, or others whose back ground is either tainted by blood or corruption. Netters who do complain and are against any thing this country stands for support these murders for their own use. Be it green-card or failure to save some money to go back and help their country of birth like Sheikh Al-Amoudi. I gurantee you all these hate-mongers are losers in their respective communities who neither support their own family let alone their country nor have estabilished life there in the west. I bet, eventhough they spent half of their life in the west, most of them don't even have 2000 dollars of emergency money in their account. My advice for these losers be; New year is just days away and Ethiopians from all walks of life wish specially peace at this critical time. This coming new year will be celebrated in Sheraton addis featuring Teddy Afro, Ali-Birra and Wycleef jean. for those of us who cann't afford to go to Sheraton, the celebration will be transmitted live to our living rooms. thanx to the Sheik. for those of you losers and hate-mogers the country is in peace and remains as such for the next century. No blood will be shed for your personal ego. Peace in this country means nightmare to you all.

Email: 123@yahoo.com

City: addis ababa

Thank you Tintage for the information.

I felt obliged to add that I was not able to publish an article which I wrote about 2 years ago exposing the malpractices of one of the TPLF-owned companies (Dinsho). I published this same article later in Addis Tribune. What does this say? Amare Aregawi and his Reporter magazine are pro-Woyane- meaning, they stand aganist the interests of the Ethiopian people. I am glad this is now being openly recognized.

Email: wazeleke@yahoo.com

Watch the video clip from Oslo anti-yara demonstration

http://www.kinijit-europe.org/yara2.htm

Email: abcdef@hotmail.com

Kibru,

Once again, you are writing what your antiEthiopia Organization, TPLF, has been telling us for years. Fortunately, everybody now knows your crude and negative politics. I do not think it will work this time because your organization has committed very serious and unforgivable crimes against the people of Ethiopia to be listened to. Although somewhat boring and a waste time, I thought of responding briefly. Let me try.

In my opinion, as others have already expressed before, what is more important is the implanting of democracy in Ethiopia. I do not have personal acquaintances to any one of the Ethiopians you mentioned in your message. But I do not at all worry if any one of them becomes the leader of my country as long as he is elected (fairly) by the people. I fully trust and respect the choice of the people. I am more interested in this process than in the person himself. If the elected leader does not do a good job, he will be replaced by a better leader (possibly including one from TPLF) in the next election cycle. This is the kind of thing Ethiopians are in demand presently. Ask the people, and you will get this kind of answer. Do not simply isolate yourself and talk on the basis of your own imagination (usually negative) or wishful thinking. TPLF/EPRDF has definitely lost the May 15 election and is expected to either gracefully transfer the power to the elected leadership or the proposed collision government. To me this does not exclude TPLF/EPRDF from Ethiopian politics. Then what is the problem doing the right thing? Think a little bit out of the box and also tell you party leader to open his mind.

Email: wazeleke@yahoo.com

To add one point

All Norwagian government officials refused to be present on the ceremony and to meet Meles Zenawi. This is how he is treated in Oslo. This hasn't happened to a lowest government official let alone a leader of a country.

"I fully trust and respect the choice of the people. I am more interested in this process than in the person himself. If the elected leader does not do a good job, he will be replaced by a better leader..."


Well said ZWA!

Ato. Keberet-

I doubt most Ethiopians have $2,000 idle money in their account, because quite a lot of them are giving to opposition parities CUD/UEDF. This means the time is up for you fascist clowns. The irony is most of us that you LOCUST want to label us “Amhara Feudal” or “Derg Puppets” have said no more to this TPLF corrupt racist TPLF government.

In my time I have seen Ambassadors and government Ministries defecting, because they opposed the Mengistu regime, your TPLF friends are so politically savvy, they are talking bribe from YARA of Norway and Petrona of Malaysia.

Fact:

Do you know that Five TPLF Ministers including the economic advisor of Meles have taken bribe from the Petrona Oil Co of Malaysia in the amount of $ 5,000,000. I doubt that you even got a penny. Who is the puppet now?

You need to think hard and look around you. The people of Ethiopian including friends of Ethiopia have said no more to Meles Zenawi and Co.

Abaye Tshehaye ,Girma Biru, Newaye Gebre Ab, Beret Seyemon, Arqabe Equbay, Amhassodor Berhane Gebre-Christos and other you know who you are, and TPLF puppets like Ambassador Kasahun Ayele.

Keberet, Beware the time is up for you and Meles. Sorry I have to get back to my work, so of us have to work in order to give to contribute another $2,000 to the opposition.

The Opposition will always cry! Shame on you, rather! We know that you sound like your father--the Devil--the Father of all lies.

God bless Ethiopia and EPRDF.

Email: tilemlim@hotmail.com

Kebru-(Sweet heart)

How come you are quiet you TPLF Cadre!!!!!!

I doubt most Ethiopians have $2,000 idle money in their account, because quite a lot of them are giving to opposition parities CUD/UEDF. This means the time is up for you fascist clowns. The irony is most of us that you LOCUST want to label us “Amhara Feudal” or “Derg Puppets” have said no more to this TPLF corrupt racist TPLF government.

In my time I have seen Ambassadors and government Ministries defecting, because they opposed the Mengistu regime, your TPLF friends are so politically savvy, they are talking bribe from YARA of Norway and Petrona of Malaysia.

Fact:

Do you know that Five TPLF Ministers including the economic advisor of Meles have taken bribe from the Petrona Oil Co of Malaysia in the amount of $ 5,000,000. I doubt that you even got a penny. Who is the puppet now?

You need to think hard and look around you. The people of Ethiopian including friends of Ethiopia have said no more to Meles Zenawi and Co.

Abaye Tshehaye ,Girma Biru, Newaye Gebre Ab, Beret Seyemon, Arqabe Equbay, Amhassodor Berhane Gebre-Christos and other you know who you are, and TPLF puppets like Ambassador Kasahun Ayele.

Keberet, Beware the time is up for you and Meles. Sorry I have to get back to rasise another $2,000 to the opposition.

The time is up for you TPLF con-artist residing in the U.S. if you could grasp that the time is up.

Please don't give Tina Turners(Meles Turners) example.