ADDIS
ABABA
735 mln. Br
collected from VAT
Revenue amounting to 735
million birr has been collected since the newly introduced Value Added
Tax (VAT) was enforced in Ethiopia, the Ministry of Revenues
announced.
VAT was introduced under
a relevant proclamation compelling businesses whose annual sales
income is 500,000 birr or more to register and pay the taxes. It
entered into force in December 2002, Ministry Public Relations Service
Senior Expert, Yared Gebre-Michael said.
OROMIA
Water projects to benefit over 60,000
The
Arsi Zone Water Resources Development Office announced that study and
execution of 43 pure water projects expected to benefit over 60,000
people was in progress in the zone at a cost over 20 million birr.
Office head Kumo Kedir said that the projects include, among others, a
study of 34 water projects, the sinking of wells as well as
development of springs.
Some 31 percent of the
2.7 million people have access to pure water services, he added.
More
than 38,000 households engage in horticulture dev’t
Over
38,000 household farmers in western parts of the Oromia State were
engaged in horticulture development on over 4,000 hectares of land
through irrigation during the current dry season, the western branch
office of the Oromia State Irrigation development Authority said.
Irrigation extension
development team leader said that farmers were engaged in the
irrigation development through modern and traditional irrigation
development mechanisms in Jimma, Illubabor, East and West Wellega
zones of the state.
The farmers in the four
zones harvested over 364,000 quintals of various kinds of fruits and
vegetables through irrigation during the previous year’s corresponding
time.
Crops exposed to
wastage during harvest, storage
Some
35 percent of the total 62 million quintals of crops produced in
Oromia State was exposed to damage every year due to lack of proper
harvesting and storage.
It was noted at a six-day
training of post harvest technology promotion that some 16 million
quintals of crops would be wasted during harvesting, threshing and
transportation and eaten by pests.
The training aimed at
familiarizing the agricultural development workers with the techniques
of crop harvesting and protection as well as control of pest in silos.
The training also focuses
of food preparation technology, crop marketing and loans provided for
employing post harvest technologies.
DIRE
DAWA
90 hectares
designated as industrial zone
Some
90 hectares of land has been designated as industrial zone in Dire
Dawa town, administrative council investment office said.
Office head Daniel
Alemayehu said the office granted 10,000 hectares of land to an
investor licensed to establish a soft drink factory with a capital of
15 million birr.
Since 1985 E.C. the
office has licensed 376 investment projects with an aggregate capital
of 2.2 billion birr.
Some 69 of the licensed
investment projects that opened job opportunities for 1,877 local
people have gone operational so far.
AMHARA
ERA
undertakes renovation work
The Ethiopian Roads
Authority announced that it launched this month the renovation work of
the 28 Km Bahir Dar-Tis Abay gravel road.
This heavily dilapidated
road would be renovated with an outlay of more than 31 million birr,
according to ERA.
The renovation work is
expected to be finalized before June next year.
22 investment
projects enter operational phases
Twenty-two
of the over 60 million birr capital investment projects in Dessie town
have entered operational phases, the town council head Kedir Mohammed
announced. The investment projects that entered into operational
phases include real estates, cafeteria, clinic and super market.
Licenses had also been
given to 35 investors this year, and the council revoked the licenses
of eight of the 15 investors who failed to launch proposed projects
according to timetable.
The official indicated
that the volume of private investment has steadily been growing since
recently owing to revisions made in the investment law and procedure.
245.8
mln. Birr investment projects enter into operation
Seventy-five
agricultural investment projects established in the Amhara State with
a total capital of 245.8 million birr have begun operations, the
state’s investment office announced.
Planning, Information and
Consultancy Services team leader with the office, Enat Kassahun said
the projects, licensed since 1985 E.C., were in the areas of crop
development, forestry and animal husbandry.
The projects have created
job opportunity for 24,000 people.
College
undertakes over 30 mln. Birr expansion project
The
‘Kombolcha Agricultural Technical and Vocational College in the Amhara
State disclosed that it is undertaking expansion work with an outlay
of more than 30 million birr earmarked by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The expansion work
includes, among others, the construction of a-two storey classrooms,
library, laboratory, clinic staff residential quarters, dinning hall
and administration offices.
The college would train
close to 2,000 development agents, veterinary professionals and
farmers in diploma programme upon going fully operational in the
coming Ethiopian academic year.
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Tuesday
December 30, 2003
