Culminating a three-year development effort, the Ethiopian Bio and Emerging Technology Institute in collaboration with the Ministry of Innovation and Technology and the Oromia Agricultural Research Institute, launches the nation’s first microalgae (spirulina) research and production center.
Built at the Adami Tulu Agriculture Center with an investment of 8.2 million birr, Ethiopia’s new spirulina research and production facility spans 1,200 square meters and has already produced its first batch of spirulina exceeding 30 kg per month.
This initial success lays the groundwork for future scaling of production, according to Firew Tafesse (PhD), senior researcher at the institute.
The center, inaugurated on June 20, 2024, enables Ethiopia to produce the algae on a large scale. Spirulina sells for a high price, fetching 20,000 birr per kilogram and up to 2 million birr per quintal.
“We’ve successfully produced the first pilot batch of spirulina,” he told Shega. “This will help reduce reliance on imported spirulina, a nutrient-rich product with significant market value.”
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