The Minister of Agriculture has encouraged farmers in the former Western Equatoria to increase production during this rainy season to avoid hunger gap.Addressing farmers in Yambio during a 2018 agriculture campaign on Wednesday, Onyoti Adigo Nyikwec stressed the need to improve food security in the country.
Adigo admits South Sudan is experiencing difficulties with its economy that is why; he says farmers have a major role to play to provide enough food.
‘Our economy has now collapsed and prices are high in the market. All these because we are not engaged in farming and many of our citizens are lazy to do so. But what I heard from Yambio is that no one is hungry in the town. That is why; he said “I came to launch this campaign here in Yambio. The time has come to all of South Sudanese to cultivate.’ He added
The latest food security reports estimate that 7.1 million people in South Sudan will face acute food insecurity between May and July.
Pierre Vauthier the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO reiterates the commitment of his office to continue supporting South Sudanese farmers to produce more food.
‘We need to have all the population able to plant on time. We are blessed by the early rain. And I think it is very important, let’s hope it is going to continue like that. And FOA is standing with the government of South Sudan and with the farmers in order to manage this season and to reverse this trend of having an increased gap of food.’ Vauthier stressed.
Abel Sudan manages Baikpa multi-purpose cooperative society in Yambio which has over 140 farmers. Sudan says the ongoing conflict has affected food production in their area last year.
‘We were afraid of abduction; they can come and get these young men [and] these young ladies. So it hindered our plans and our activities that we were doing. But currently this year we have resorted to cash crops.’ Sudan said
Butrus Samuel Mohammed is a member of the Baikpa cooperative society. He urges government to open up roads so that farmers can take their food to markets.
‘Earlier on, we used to access roads to Wau and Juba and we used to sell our crops there but since 2015 we can no longer have access to those roads. We have varieties of seeds here like ground nuts, maize and others but local people cannot buy. The only hope we have is on the organizations that could come and buy it from us. Let [them] come and buy from us and take it to some areas that lack seeds.’ Mohammed appealed.
The World Food Program’s Deputy Country Representative Simon Cammelbeeck says the food security situation in South Sudan continues to deteriorate and encouraged farmers to take advantage of the upcoming planting season to produce more food.