South Sudan To Import Food From West Africa In an attempt to address food scarcity in South Sudan, the government has planned to buy food from West Africa, saying it is affordable and will be sold in low rates upon importation into the country.30 October 2011 Mr. Garang Diing speaking to Gurtong in a previous function in Juba [File Photo]By Waakhe Simon Wudu Juba, 30th October 2011 [Gurtong] - In an attempt to address food scarcity in South Sudan, the government has planned to buy food from West Africa, saying it is affordable and will be sold in low rates upon importation into the country.
The South Sudanese Minister of Commerce, Industry and Investment, Mr. Garang Diing told the press on Thursday this week in Juba that, South Sudan is planning to import thousands of maize bags from West Africa. "The president has managed to mobilize about 300,000 bags of maize from Malawi, and this will reduce the prices on food in South Sudan,” Garang revealed. “We are also working with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, and the Ministry of Agriculture to identify which areas are producing surplus and which areas have deficit to enable the government to project properly." He also said that, the government is planning to revive all former agricultural industries in South Sudan that were brought to stand still as a result of the more than two decades of civil war with Khartoum in order to boost the economy. These industries include; Nzara Agro-industry, Wau Brewery industry, Wau Fruits Canning, Mongalla Sugar factory, Melut Sugar factory, Aweil Rice Scheme, and Tonj Kenab. “As a government we need to revive these industries so that we reduce the dependency on oil revenue. These industries will create revenues that that will supplement the national budget, and also create jobs for the youths and the people of South Sudan. The industries will also change the lives of the people in South Sudan because they are mostly Agro-based industries,” Garang added. The South Sudan Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management last month told the press in Juba that, 1.3 million South Sudanese are facing starvation and are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. The Ministry also said that the situation is expected to worsen as a result of an influx of returnees, heavy rains destroying crops and intertribal conflicts in the country. Posted in: Home CommentsThere are currently no comments, be the first to post one. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "South Sudan Info - The Kob" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/SouthSudanKob?hl=en.
