By King Media
The German development agency GIZ has handed over garage equipment to the Yei Crop Training Centre (CTC) to repair broken-down tractors and improve access to mechanized farming services for farmers in Yei River County.
The equipment, provided under the Community-Driven Rural Development (CDRD) project, is intended to strengthen tractor maintenance and repair services ahead of upcoming planting seasons, helping farmers prepare their land on time.
Years of conflict and inadequate maintenance facilities have left much of Yei’s agricultural machinery out of service, forcing farmers to depend on a limited number of operational tractors.
According to GIZ, the few functioning machines are overstretched, resulting in long waiting periods and delays in land preparation that can cause farmers to miss critical planting windows.
A local farmer awaiting tractor services described the challenges, saying they had registered as number 18 on the waiting list and were initially told their field would be ploughed within three days. However, when the deadline arrived, the farmer was informed that the tractor had broken down.
The farmer said the delay resulted in the loss of timely planting opportunities.
The newly supplied equipment includes an air compressor, a mobile diesel welding generator, specialized mechanical toolboxes and personal protective equipment. The tools are expected to support routine servicing and field repairs for the eight tractors operating across Yei County.
David Amule, administrator at the Yei Crop Training Centre, welcomed the support, saying it would help restore reliable tractor services for the farming community.
“We warmly welcome and thank GIZ for this timely support,” Amule said. “With these tools in place, we will inform the farming community about the resumption of dependable tractor services at Yei CTC.”
He added that restoring the tractors would help farmers expand their cultivated land and revive agricultural productivity in the area, which was known for its agricultural output before 2016.
Isaac Asiki, director of agriculture at the County Agriculture Department, urged the centre to put the equipment to immediate use and ensure its proper management.
“These garage tools and accessories must be put to immediate use so that our tractors are ready to serve every farmer waiting in our county,” Asiki said.
He also called for proper care and sustainable management of the equipment to ensure it remains useful in the long term.
GIZ estimates that returning the tractors to service could help at least 3,000 farmers increase the area they cultivate, with the machinery expected to support the cultivation of more than 10,000 hectares of land.
The intervention is expected to contribute to increased agricultural production, improved household incomes and greater resilience to climate-related shocks by enabling farmers to cultivate more land and generate larger harvests.
Beyond providing equipment, the CDRD project will also support capacity building by training tractor operators and farmers in the use of different types of agricultural machinery, including equipment for ploughing, harrowing and sowing.
The project is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. It is co-funded by the European Union and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Germany supports South Sudan’s humanitarian response and long-term development, including rural development, local governance, sustainable agricultural systems, peacebuilding and access to water and sanitation.
The intervention forms part of broader efforts to strengthen agricultural production and improve livelihoods in South Sudan, where access to timely land preparation remains an important factor in helping farming households increase food production and income.