One of the habits of the residents of Keren, and especially that of the civil servants, is eating peanuts while taking a leisure walk along the main avenue of the city. Even those who come to Keren for work, one of the things that they miss the most when they move back is the Keren Meroro, the name people of Keren give to their peanuts.
The peanut vendors, most of whom are women, have distinct places along the avenue; and even though most of them have habitual costumers, only a handful are always seen surrounded by crowds.
One of the incomparable vendors is the late Mrs. Kedija Mohammed Mahmoud, commonly known as Hadja Meroro (the Meroro Lady). She led her life for 50 years selling peanuts nearby the Palazzo Riva until her death in May 1998. People had to form queues just to get Mrs. Kedija’s peanuts.
“She would sell around 75 kg or at least half quintal in just one evening,” narrates her daughter, Mrs. Asha Omer, who has inherited and is continuing her mother’s legacy.
At present, those with greatest number of customers, including Mrs. Asha, finish their supply of peanuts for the evening within one hour.
Dusk being the most preferred time, the sale of peanuts concludes between six and half past seven. Most of the vendors prepare a maximum of 10 kilos of peanuts while those with more customers sell up to 25 kilos of peanuts on a daily basis. Rough estimation puts the total amount of peanuts sold in one evening at 2 quintals.
Although children sell peanuts in the streets of Asmara and other lowland towns, the peanuts of Keren have the additional quality of being homegrown (indigenous).
The major investors and entrepreneurs in the Anseba region, trace their wealth origins back to peanut farming. Even today, farmers in the region sow peanuts to later sell it and use the money for shopping, weddings and other demands.
When compared with other crops, peanuts are always expensive. However, since the price falls and demand decreases when there is abundant supply in the market, the farmers usually conduct market researches before sowing.
Scientifically known as Arachis hypogaea, peanuts have worldwide recognition. It is believed that the peanut seeds were first used in the borders of Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and later in Argentina, thereby attaining popularity in the whole South American continent. After the Spanish and Portuguese, the then active merchants in the world, introduced the seeds to Europe, Asia and Africa, peanuts also expanded to North America.
Reports from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) indicate that at present tens of millions of tons of peanuts is harvested annually from the six continents. The biggest percentage of this however, comes from Asia and Africa.
In Eritrea, peanuts were introduced in the 1940s, according to records from the Ministry of Agriculture. Especially after the end of World War II, peanuts began coming through the Sudanese border, owing to the irregular trade and agriculture relations between Sudan and western low lands, and became common in the Senhit (present day Anseba) areas.
Although it had quite a substantial distribution nationwide, peanut farming and trading saw a blossoming period from the 1960’s to the mid 1970’s. Many nationals and foreigners set up plantations, which also created job opportunities for thousands of nationals, on top of the economic benefits obtained from the sale profits.
Land for peanut farming at that time was in the form of concessions and an association that was set up the monitor the activities was active until 1977, according to the farmers who were members of that association.
When compared with other countries’ peanuts, the Eritrean grown peanuts are lower in size and oil content but are tastier and contain more number (4-5) of seeds in a shell. It is because of these advantages that Eritrean peanuts were had good market demands in Great Britain and Yemen in the 1960’s.
Peanuts belong to the linseed plants and are rich in vitamins but demand special care and nurturing than other crops, therefore requiring labor, and this in turn creating job opportunity.
Peanuts are a guaranteed and proven source of income at both the family and national levels. Nothing goes to waste. The shells and leaves can serve for animal food. The fruit or seed (the peanut), in addition to be eaten as Meroro, it can also be processed in factories to produce food for children (DMK), edible oil and peanut butter. Consequently, it can also be exported and be a source of hard currency.
This potential however, has not been fully exploited. In fact, except the DMK and edible oil factory in Adi Guadad as well as the small-scale private oil factories in Asmara and Dibarwa, no other institution has so far made any considerable investment.
Starting from 1993, the government gave particular attention to peanut farming but it did not persist as expected. Mr. Kesete Tesfatsion, Head of Land Resources and Seed Cultivation at the Central Region Branch of the Ministry of Agriculture, said that although the ministry had arranged with the areas known for their peanut production, no encouraging progress was made and the efforts discontinued.
Furthermore, having registered commendable progress in researches of different types of seeds, the ministry hasn’t conducted a single research on peanuts in the last 18 years of independence.
Nevertheless, peanut production is continuing in spite of numerous hardships. Between 2001 and 2007 only, 143,744 quintals of peanuts was harvested from five sub-zones of the Anseba Region, namely Hagaz, Hamelmalo, Habero, Elabered and Keren.
One of the top government policies is encouraging export-oriented agricultural production and peanut farming could play a significant role in attaining this goal. If it were to be cultivated in a premeditated manner and using irrigational farming, it would definitely benefit its producers and the nation as a whole.
(Translated by Meron Abraha)
