Assessing the Opportunities Available to Banks in Financing Horticulture Sub-Sector in Ethiopia

This assessment is aimed at conducting exploring the opportunities that Banks in Ethiopia have in working in with horticultural industry players. This export sales trend of horticulture has shown an immense fluctuation from the selected more latest year 2009/10 to 2018/2019 by using qualitative and quantitative data analysis. This, the variation was shows alarming increase had shown significant to the total export sales gain of the country for the sector where it was become cover about 10% whole export commodity of 2009/10 to 2018/19. From this assessment it was found that horticulture export commodity of Ethiopia plays significant role in foreign exchange gains earning and competency in the international arena which makes the banks to working with makes difference. Despite, several challenges and opportunities namely tumultuous weather, seasonal cyclones, occasional drought, demographic pressure, industrialization, urbanization and unprecedented use of insecticide & pesticide and compulsion for migration of rural masses to urban areas, especially for their livelihood. Ethiopia is the second largest supplier and exporter of horticulture produce in Africa after Kenya, due to is currently the fifth foreign revenue earner to the Ethiopian economy and it is one of the commodity a boost to the export sector of the country, so it is better for banking working in horticulture and the sector key players. In general, over the past few years, horticulture has made remarkable progress in terms of expansion in area and production under different crops, increase in productivity, crop diversification, technological interventions for production and post-harvest and forward linkages through value addition and marketing which makes benefit the banks involving in the sector