Teff Export Ban Protected Ethiopia

Teff, Ethiopia's staple grain, contains abundant protein, fiber, and minerals and has attracted "superfood" comparisons to quinoa. After health-food demand in the United States and Europe sent quinoa prices soaring in Bolivia, Ethiopia feared that global teff demand could threaten its own food supply. In 2006, the government banned exports of raw teff, although it continued allowing processed products such as injera to leave the country. Ethiopia partially lifted the ban in 2015 after improved farming techniques and mechanization increased yields by 40 percent.

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