South Sudan seeks financial assistance to increase food production
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By Ngor Arol Garang
July 14, 2011 (JUBA)- The government of new Republic of South Sudan on
Thursday called on development partners to provide considerable
financial assistance in order for new state to increase food
production.
JPEG - 11 kb
Anne Itto from south Sudan’s ruling SPLM addresses a news conference
in Juba (www.allvoices.com)
The government also called on farmers to scale up food production to
offset the looming threats of hunger and to focus on using sustainable
food production to also benefit from local markets.
Anne Itto the caretaker minister of agriculture and forestry told the
press on Thursday that ways must be found to increase yields with a
combination of knowledge, technology and investment.
"We have whatever it takes to scale up production and that should be
our aim because drought is a reality for us and even a number of
countries across the region,’’ she said.
The drought which has hit several countries in East Africa, including
Somalia is said to be the worst in 60 years.
Itto hopes that increased investment will improve food security by
eliminating the current shortages that have engulfed the new country.
In her address, the Minister mentioned that South Sudan has unreliable
rainfall, which hampers agricultural planning.
“Some parts of our country are experiencing unreliable rains. Some
places like Northern Bahr el Ghazal state have gone for more than
three weeks without rain”.
“This has significant effect on crops which have already been
planted,” said Ito claiming that Burundi, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda,
Congo DRC, Madagascar and Mozambique are all facing the possibility of
famine. She said prices for basic goods have gone up because most of
the areas depend on imported food.
“We are experiencing [an] upsurge in food prices. I am told maize
price in Nairobi has gone up from 215 USD per ton (323/- per kilo) in
January to 465 USD per ton (744/-per kilo) in June 2011, reflecting
price increase of 130 per cent. These prices are quadrupled in South
Sudan because of transport cost”, she said.
The senior member of the South Sudan’s ruling party, the Sudan
People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM) explained that the policy of her
ministry encourages participatory approach of all groups and
associations of farmers, livestock keepers, suppliers, processors,
transporters, researchers, in order to push for improved economical
and organisational environment for the sector.
She believes that a dialogue between stakeholders and a strengthening
of agricultural associations can assist the sector in becoming
commercialised and highly productive, leading to poverty reduction and
an improved standard of living for the agricultural community, which
make up the majority in South Sudan.
(ST)
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