Haile Selassie

“ This experience has demonstrated that it is essential that the rivers of Our country be devoted to irrigation, so that the food needs of Our ever-growing population will no longer be left at the mercy of the whims and caprices of the elements. ”

“ We trust that the Agricultural College at Alem Maya, which We inaugurated last January, and the Agricultural Technical School at Jimma, will greatly assist in the introduction of modern agricultural methods into Our country. The shortage of arable land for the production of foodstuffs for Our people in Eritrea has caused Us to initiate a study for the damming of the Zula River for irrigation purposes. ”