Cactus Industry Development
Irobland is the first place in Ethiopia where cactus (Opuntia) was in 1840's. There is a huge untapped resource of cactus (Opuntia) as almost every household owns a sizable cactus farm which sustains a family of 4 for up to 3 months on average every year. However, there is no structured business model yet. Owners only consume from their fields during the June - October months. Since cactus matures at the same time, about quarter to half of the fruit is wasted or consumed by wildlife during the peak season. The idea here is to change that by introducing a business model that includes:
The collection of cactus fruit and sale locally or to traders for regional and international marketing
Preservation and warehousing of cactus fruit locally for longivity
Agro-processing of cactus to make secondary products like jam (TVET center facility) and medicinal .
Marketing both raw fruit and processed products outside the region
Diversification of usages beyond fruits to flowers and leaves as food, forage and medicinal purposes
There were attempts by Catholic church regarding the processing in Adigrat but was not scaled up. This business model could be implemented in partnership with Irob government and Kallasa TVET center.
