Addis Ababa (AMECO) — When Gashaw Teshager finished Grade 12, he held ambitious plans for his future. But after an unexpected business venture ended in severe financial loss, he abandoned his hometown, bade farewell to his parents, and crossed the border into neighbouring Sudan in search of a livelihood.
More than a year spent as an irregular migrant abroad yielded little progress, shattering his initial hopes. Yet while reflecting on his predicament in exile, an epiphany struck: he recalled the Genda Wuha river back home flowing unused past his father’s fertile, uncultivated farmland. Determined not to waste his youth in foreign lands, Gashaw returned to Ethiopia with a starting capital of just 5,000 Ethiopian Birr (£30). Speaking to local broadcaster AMICO, he recounted how he invested that modest sum in a small motorized water pump and high-grade seeds, setting out to cultivate his family’s land with permanent fruit trees and vegetables.
His enterprise faced immediate skepticism. Neighbours initially mocked him as foolish, and an early attempt at onion cultivation resulted in a crushing financial setback. Refusing to yield to local gossip or economic failure, Gashaw persevered.”When you have soil, water, labour, ideas, and knowledge, migrating to a foreign country simply wastes your youth and strength,” Gashaw said. “Handing yourself over to migration when we can change our lives using our nation’s natural gifts is sheer ignorance.”
His persistence paid off. The initial four-hectare plot provided by his father—planted with mango, lemon, guava, and orange trees—began producing heavy yields after years of intensive care. Reinvesting his earnings, Gashaw purchased additional land from local farmers to expand his irrigation system. Today, his commercial enterprise spans 21 hectares of lush fruit orchards.
His farm now harvests between 600 and 700 quintals (60–70 metric tonnes) of mangoes and up to 200 quintals (20 metric tonnes) of lemons and oranges annually, supplying wholesale markets in Addis Ababa. Beyond securing his family’s financial future, Gashaw has created job opportunities for local youths and distributes high-quality seeds to neighbouring smallholders.
“My dream of economic transformation had no limits,” Gashaw said. “Returning from migration enabled me use soil and water, changing my life and my family’s future. What I built with immense toil is a lifetime blessing for my children.”Gashaw’s success aligns with a broader agricultural expansion across the region. Addisalem Bitew, head of the Fruit and Technology Transfer Team at the West Gondar Zone Agriculture Department, confirmed that over 1,400 hectares in the zone are currently planted with coffee and lowland fruits. More than 25,700 growers participate in the sector, producing over 140,000 quintals of fruit and vegetables in the current budget year.
At a national level, State Minister of Agriculture Meles Mekonnen noted during an international workshop hosted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) that horticulture and fruit farming are high-priority targets under Ethiopia’s 10-year master development plan. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has also publicly praised the sector’s performance, describing fruit and vegetable production results as encouraging and vital for achieving national food security and sustainable economic growth.
