Product Description:- Oranges and other citrus fruits are essential food items for the physical will-being of people. In high income countries the fruits constitute part of the daily diet of the people. In less developed countries, there is limited consumption of the fruits due to the low per capita income of the people.
Market Potential:- The demand potential of oranges and other similar fruits and vegetables is similar to the demand potential of bananas in the Amhara Region which is explained in the project idea with proposes the establishment of banana plantations in the Region. In short, with 2.1 million people in its urban centers, the Region has a great potential for the consumption of fruits and vegetables. However, these products are not grown in the Region on large scale commercial basis. As a result, the demand for fruits in the Region is met by imports from other parts of the country. The Region has may localities suitable for growing oranges and other similar fruits. There is also a growing demand for these fruits. Establishing commercial plantations for producing oranges and other similar fruits near Bahir Dar, Gondar and Dessie at the initial stage and moving to other localities will be financially viable ventures. Growing these fruits on the north western parts of the Region will make it possible to export the fruits to north Africa and the middle East.
Source of Raw Material:- Plantations for growing oranges need water, appropriate soil and climate. These are available in may localities of the Region especially in the central, western and northwestern parts of the Region.
Process and Technology:- Here process refers to steps taken to establish and operate a plantation for growing fruits. Such steps include identifying the appropriate location, securing land, developing the land, planting fruit trees, nurturing and caring the trees until they reach bearing age, harvesting, and again taking care of the trees.
Estimated Investment:- Growing fruits even on a large scale is relatively a labor intensive activity. As such there is no minimum size of economies of scale to operate. A ten-hectare fruit plantation can be a financially viable venture as much as a 100- hectare plantation. The size of investment is also determined by the size of plantation. Given the shortage of land in many parts of the Amhara Region, this project idea considers a 30 – hectare plantation as an average size. To develop and operate this size of plantation, the initial investment will be
Building/ shade 100 m2 at Br 1500/m2= 150,000
Machinery 80,000
Working Capital 150,000
380,000
Benefits:- self-sufficiency in the production of oranges and other similar fruits saves financial resources of the Region, high potential for export
Location:- Initially areas near Bahir Dar, Gondar and Dessie, Metema.