The delegation was guided through the Center by experts from the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Berhanu Kebede Beyene and Mrs. Rediet, who presented its individual facilities and technical equipment. The tour covered agricultural machinery, mechanical and repair workshops, metalworking equipment, testing and inspection facilities, computer and training rooms, and technical facilities intended for design and development activities.

About the Center

The Agricultural Mechanization Center of Excellence was built in Kality in cooperation with the Republic of Korea. It is designed to support the inspection, testing, research, maintenance and repair of agricultural machinery, while also developing professional skills through practical technical training. According to publicly available information, the Center was constructed over a period of seven months with funding of USD 14.7 million provided by the Government of the Republic of Korea. It is expected to serve as a hub for agricultural machinery inspection, research and repair, as well as vocational training for technical personnel. 

The discussions held during the visit also addressed possible areas of future professional cooperation, including a potential connection between the Center’s activities and Czech development-cooperation instruments. The talks covered the practical use of technical equipment, training for machinery operators and service technicians, demonstrations of suitable technologies, machinery maintenance, and the establishment of direct links between Ethiopian and Czech professional, educational and business partners.

Agricultural Mechanization as an Ethiopian Priority

Agricultural mechanization is among Ethiopia’s priorities in modernizing agricultural production, raising productivity and reducing post-harvest losses. The Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture has published a National Agricultural Mechanization Strategy for 2026–2035, which addresses agricultural machinery research, technical training, testing and certification, among other areas. 

The Ethiopian authorities also emphasize the development of domestic capacity for machinery operation, maintenance, repair and assembly. In March 2026, agricultural machinery and related equipment valued at ETB 2.32 billion were distributed to Ethiopia’s regional states and the Dire Dawa City Administration. The package included tractors, walking tractors, threshers, groundwater pumps, solar-powered pumping units and other equipment. 

Czech Agricultural Technologies

The Czech Republic offers a broad range of agricultural machinery, equipment and technological solutions. Following the visit, the Embassy provided the Center with information on the Czech agricultural technology catalogue and a selection of companies active in different areas of agricultural production. The following overview is intended as an initial introduction to the range of technologies available from Czech suppliers:

• Farmet | farmet@farmet.cz
  Machinery for soil cultivation, sowing and fertiliser application, as well as technologies for oilseed processing, vegetable-oil production, feed extrusion and compound-feed production. 

• SMS CZ / SMS Agro | smscz@smscz.cz
  Machinery for soil cultivation, seedbed preparation, deep loosening, ploughing, rolling, sowing, grassland renovation and pasture management. For international and overseas enquiries, the company also lists hanus@smscz.cz. 

• BEDNAR FMT | info@bednar.com
  Professional machinery for soil cultivation, sowing, inter-row cultivation, strip-till operations, mulching, fertiliser application and crop-residue management. 

• AGRIO MZS | info@agrio.cz
  Mounted, trailed and self-propelled agricultural sprayers, together with spare parts, servicing, technical support, testing and reconstruction of spraying equipment. 

• ZETOR TRACTORS | business-development@zetor.com
  Agricultural tractors, original spare parts and servicing support, including tractor models intended for markets outside the European Union. General enquiries may also be sent to zetor@zetor.com. ]

• CZAGRO machinery | stroje@cz-am.cz
  Agricultural implements and machinery for soil cultivation and mowing, including equipment that may be adapted to different tractor categories and agricultural requirements. 

• SEDA Africa Group | info@sedaafrica.com
  Integrated solutions for water management, hydrogeological assessment, water treatment and storage infrastructure, food processing and the transfer of Czech technologies to African markets. 

• AGE | luda.cerna@age.cz
  Complete technological solutions and turnkey facilities for poultry and pig farming, including housing, feeding, drinking, ventilation, heating, automation and farm-management systems. General enquiries may also be sent to age@age.cz. 

• MACH DRŮBEŽ | machdrubez@machdrubez.cz
  Production of hatching eggs and day-old broiler chicks, breeder-flock management, hatchery operations and related poultry-production expertise. International enquiries in English may be addressed to jana.adamkova@machdrubez.cz. 

• FARMTEC | farmtec@farmtec.cz
  Comprehensive livestock-farming technologies, including cattle housing, feeding and drinking systems, milking technology, milk cooling, calf housing, manure management and related agricultural infrastructure. Export enquiries may also be addressed to pnovakova@farmtec.cz. 

• ROmiLL AGRICULTURE | info@romill-ag.cz
  Equipment for feed production, grain processing and storage, including farm-scale and industrial feed mills, silos, grain cleaners, crushers, crimpers, mixers, conveying systems and post-harvest lines. 

Czech Industry Catalogue and Association

The Center was also introduced to the Czech Agricultural Solutions online catalogue, which provides an English-language overview of Czech agricultural machinery and associated technologies. The catalogue covers machinery for fields and grassland, transport and handling equipment, smart farming, livestock production, grain and feed processing, farm-level food processing, waste management and energy solutions. It also includes a searchable directory of Czech manufacturers. General enquiries may be sent to info@czechagro.cz. 

Information was also provided on the Czech Agricultural and Forestry Machinery Association, AZET. The Association brings together 41 members, including 36 commercial companies, one research institution and two universities. It supports international cooperation, export promotion, professional networking and participation in trade fairs and business missions. 

Opportunities for Further Cooperation

The presentation of individual suppliers is for general information only. The Embassy does not commercially endorse or provide guarantees for any particular company, product or technical solution. According to the specific requirements of Ethiopian partners, the Embassy is prepared to assist in identifying potentially suitable Czech suppliers and facilitating initial direct contacts. In addition to agricultural machinery, opportunities for Czech-Ethiopian cooperation may also exist in:

• irrigation and water-management systems;
• livestock and poultry production;
• milking and milk-cooling technologies;
• feed production and grain storage;
• post-harvest and food-processing technologies;
• food packaging;
• beverage production and bottling;
• machinery servicing, testing and technical training.

The visit highlighted the significant potential of the Agricultural Mechanization Center of Excellence to serve as an important platform for technical education, testing, servicing and practical demonstrations of agricultural technologies. Further communication may help identify specific areas in which Czech expertise and technological solutions could complement Ethiopia’s agricultural development priorities. 

 

Připravil: Ing. Roman Plevák, Ph.D., vedoucí sekce obchodu a ekonomické spolupráce na Velvyslanectví ČR v Addis Abebě