diff --git a/examples/l3fwd/l3fwd_event.c b/examples/l3fwd/l3fwd_event.c
index 9fea11bd9..1289bc9ab 100644
--- a/examples/l3fwd/l3fwd_event.c
+++ b/examples/l3fwd/l3fwd_event.c
@@ -40,12 +40,32 @@ parse_eventq_sync(const char *optarg)
 		evt_rsrc->sched_type = RTE_SCHED_TYPE_PARALLEL;
 }
 
+static void
+parse_event_eth_rx_queues(const char *eth_rx_queues)
+{
+	struct l3fwd_event_resources *evt_rsrc = l3fwd_get_eventdev_rsrc();
+	char *end = NULL;
+	uint8_t num_eth_rx_queues;
+
+	/* parse decimal string */
+	num_eth_rx_queues = strtoul(eth_rx_queues, &end, 10);
+	if ((eth_rx_queues[0] == '\0') || (end == NULL) || (*end != '\0'))
+		return;
+
+	if (num_eth_rx_queues == 0)
+		return;
+
+	evt_rsrc->eth_rx_queues = num_eth_rx_queues;
+}
+
 static void
 l3fwd_parse_eventdev_args(char **argv, int argc)
 {
 	const struct option eventdev_lgopts[] = {
 		{CMD_LINE_OPT_MODE, 1, 0, CMD_LINE_OPT_MODE_NUM},
 		{CMD_LINE_OPT_EVENTQ_SYNC, 1, 0, CMD_LINE_OPT_EVENTQ_SYNC_NUM},
+		{CMD_LINE_OPT_EVENT_ETH_RX_QUEUES, 1, 0,
+				CMD_LINE_OPT_EVENT_ETH_RX_QUEUES_NUM},
 		{NULL, 0, 0, 0}
 	};
 	char *prgname = argv[0];
@@ -64,6 +84,10 @@ l3fwd_parse_eventdev_args(char **argv, int argc)
 			parse_eventq_sync(optarg);
 			break;
 
+		case CMD_LINE_OPT_EVENT_ETH_RX_QUEUES_NUM:
+			parse_event_eth_rx_queues(optarg);
+			break;
+
 		default:
 			print_usage(prgname);
 			exit(1);
@@ -85,6 +109,7 @@ l3fwd_eth_dev_port_setup(struct rte_eth_conf *port_conf)
 	struct rte_eth_rxconf rxconf;
 	unsigned int nb_mbuf;
 	uint16_t port_id;
+	uint8_t eth_qid;
 	int32_t ret;
 
 	/* initialize all ports */
@@ -99,7 +124,8 @@ l3fwd_eth_dev_port_setup(struct rte_eth_conf *port_conf)
 		/* init port */
 		printf("Initializing port %d ... ", port_id);
 		fflush(stdout);
-		printf("Creating queues: nb_rxq=1 nb_txq=1...\n");
+		printf("Creating queues: nb_rxq=%d nb_txq=1...\n",
+		       evt_rsrc->eth_rx_queues);
 
 		rte_eth_dev_info_get(port_id, &dev_info);
 		if (dev_info.tx_offload_capa & DEV_TX_OFFLOAD_MBUF_FAST_FREE)
@@ -118,7 +144,8 @@ l3fwd_eth_dev_port_setup(struct rte_eth_conf *port_conf)
 			       local_port_conf.rx_adv_conf.rss_conf.rss_hf);
 		}
 
-		ret = rte_eth_dev_configure(port_id, 1, 1, &local_port_conf);
+		ret = rte_eth_dev_configure(port_id, evt_rsrc->eth_rx_queues,
+					    1, &local_port_conf);
 		if (ret < 0)
 			rte_exit(EXIT_FAILURE,
 				 "Cannot configure device: err=%d, port=%d\n",
@@ -161,20 +188,26 @@ l3fwd_eth_dev_port_setup(struct rte_eth_conf *port_conf)
 					  8192u);
 			ret = init_mem(port_id, nb_mbuf);
 		}
-		/* init one Rx queue per port */
+		/* init Rx queues per port */
 		rxconf = dev_info.default_rxconf;
 		rxconf.offloads = local_port_conf.rxmode.offloads;
-		if (!evt_rsrc->per_port_pool)
-			ret = rte_eth_rx_queue_setup(port_id, 0, nb_rxd, 0,
-					&rxconf, evt_rsrc->pkt_pool[0][0]);
-		else
-			ret = rte_eth_rx_queue_setup(port_id, 0, nb_rxd, 0,
-					&rxconf,
+
+		for (eth_qid = 0; eth_qid < evt_rsrc->eth_rx_queues;
+		     eth_qid++) {
+			if (!evt_rsrc->per_port_pool)
+				ret = rte_eth_rx_queue_setup(port_id, eth_qid,
+					nb_rxd, 0, &rxconf,
+					evt_rsrc->pkt_pool[0][0]);
+			else
+				ret = rte_eth_rx_queue_setup(port_id, eth_qid,
+					nb_rxd, 0, &rxconf,
 					evt_rsrc->pkt_pool[port_id][0]);
-		if (ret < 0)
-			rte_exit(EXIT_FAILURE,
-				 "rte_eth_rx_queue_setup: err=%d, "
-				 "port=%d\n", ret, port_id);
+			if (ret < 0)
+				rte_exit(EXIT_FAILURE,
+					 "rte_eth_rx_queue_setup: err=%d, "
+					 "port=%d, eth_qid: %d\n",
+					 ret, port_id, eth_qid);
+		}
 
 		/* init one Tx queue per port */
 		txconf = dev_info.default_txconf;
diff --git a/examples/l3fwd/l3fwd_event.h b/examples/l3fwd/l3fwd_event.h
index 470aedc61..c79458eec 100644
--- a/examples/l3fwd/l3fwd_event.h
+++ b/examples/l3fwd/l3fwd_event.h
@@ -21,10 +21,12 @@
 
 #define CMD_LINE_OPT_MODE "mode"
 #define CMD_LINE_OPT_EVENTQ_SYNC "eventq-sched"
+#define CMD_LINE_OPT_EVENT_ETH_RX_QUEUES "event-eth-rxqs"
 
 enum {
 	CMD_LINE_OPT_MODE_NUM = 265,
 	CMD_LINE_OPT_EVENTQ_SYNC_NUM,
+	CMD_LINE_OPT_EVENT_ETH_RX_QUEUES_NUM,
 };
 
 typedef uint32_t (*event_device_setup_cb)(void);
@@ -82,6 +84,7 @@ struct l3fwd_event_resources {
 	uint8_t deq_depth;
 	uint8_t has_burst;
 	uint8_t enabled;
+	uint8_t eth_rx_queues;
 	uint8_t nb_args;
 	char **args;
 };
@@ -104,6 +107,7 @@ l3fwd_get_eventdev_rsrc(void)
 
 		memset(mz->addr, 0, sizeof(struct l3fwd_event_resources));
 		rsrc->sched_type = RTE_SCHED_TYPE_ATOMIC;
+		rsrc->eth_rx_queues = 1;
 
 		return mz->addr;
 	}
diff --git a/examples/l3fwd/main.c b/examples/l3fwd/main.c
index 68998f42c..b76942a9b 100644
--- a/examples/l3fwd/main.c
+++ b/examples/l3fwd/main.c
@@ -285,7 +285,8 @@ print_usage(const char *prgname)
 		" [--parse-ptype]"
 		" [--per-port-pool]"
 		" [--mode]"
-		" [--eventq-sched]\n\n"
+		" [--eventq-sched]"
+		" [--event-eth-rxqs]\n\n"
 
 		"  -p PORTMASK: Hexadecimal bitmask of ports to configure\n"
 		"  -P : Enable promiscuous mode\n"
@@ -306,7 +307,10 @@ print_usage(const char *prgname)
 		"  --eventq-sched: Event queue synchronization method "
 		"                  ordered, atomic or parallel.\n\t\t"
 		"		   Default: atomic\n\t\t"
-		"                  Valid only if --mode=eventdev\n\n",
+		"                  Valid only if --mode=eventdev\n"
+		"  --event-eth-rxqs: Number of ethernet RX queues per device.\n\t\t"
+		"		     Default: 1\n\t\t"
+		"		     Valid only if --mode=eventdev\n\n",
 		prgname);
 }
 
