Ethiopia Imports 1.07 Million Tons of Fertilizer, Nears Half of Annual Target

Ethiopia’s Maritime Transit Service has reached a major milestone in its national fertilizer import initiative, with over 1.07 million metric tons of soil fertilizer successfully delivered to Djibouti Port as of April 6, 2025. This achievement represents nearly half of the country’s total planned imports for the 2017/18 agricultural production cycle, which targets 2.4 million metric tons by the April 2025 deadline.  

The most recent shipment arrived via the vessel MV DIONISIS, which carried 55,000 metric tons of DAP fertilizer. This marks the 20th ship to deliver vital agricultural inputs under the program. The breakdown of fertilizers received shows a strategic mix of 737,968 metric tons of DAP alongside 336,150 metric tons of urea, providing Ethiopian farmers with balanced nutrient options for different crop requirements.  

Transportation networks have been operating at full capacity to move the fertilizers inland. Current figures indicate that 962,740 metric tons have already been distributed within Ethiopia, while 111,377 metric tons remain at Djibouti Port awaiting transport. The inland distribution has utilized multiple logistics channels, with cross-border trucking handling the majority share of 808,145 metric tons, complemented by rail transport moving 154,595 metric tons to various destinations across the country.