By Matik Kueth
President Salva Kiir has directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to increase investments in agriculture, to improve farmers’ livelihoods and enhance local food production.
Kiir, who was briefed on the government’s master plan to resuscitate agriculture beginning with the current planting season by Agriculture Minister Abdelbagi Akol on Thursday, reiterated his full support for the ongoing programs aimed at transforming the country’s agricultural activities.
He underlined his government’s commitment to supporting farmers and ensuring national food security.
The head of the state hailed the recent purchase of tractors to be distributed to states, promoting community agricultural groups or cooperatives and increasing output.
Minister Akol stated that the government will provide essential agricultural inputs, including fuel and seeds.
He noted that service centers will be established across states and administrative areas to maintain and extend the life of the machinery.
Akol commended President Kiir for his leadership in advancing agriculture, noting its critical role in expanding farming nationwide and improving rural livelihoods.
President Kiir’s quest for agricultural investment to alleviate food insecurity in the country has been his primary focus, despite South Sudan’s ongoing economic challenges and persistent flooding in many areas.
In September 2024, during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Beijing, Kiir pledged to enhance agricultural infrastructure investment and to assist local farmers in creating a more food-secure and self-sufficient South Sudan.
Earlier this year, he vowed to prioritize agriculture to enhance the country’s food security in 2025.
Also, on May 22, 2025, at the swearing-in ceremony of newly appointed SPLM cadres in Juba, Kiir urged all South Sudanese citizens to embrace agriculture as a national goal to address food scarcity in the country.
“This year, I am calling on every citizen, every youth, every official, every community, so that we embrace agriculture. Let this year [2025] be the year of agriculture. Let us grow our own food. Let us fight hunger with our own hands. Let us rise up together,” Kiir said.
Positioning agriculture as a cornerstone for national stability and growth, Kiir said South Sudan isn’t helpless in the face of economic hardship and repeated natural disasters, particularly the annual flooding that has been devastated farmlands.