By Matik Kueth
The Vice President for Economic Cluster, Dr. James Wani Igga, challenged both small and large-scale farmers in South Sudan to invest in agriculture to combat food insecurity.
Speaking at the third edition of the Juba Economic Forum on Thursday, Igga stressed the importance of diligent inter-agriculture initiatives to boost food production across the country.
“Let us do what we preach everywhere. we will have to take proactive steps in pensioner inter-agriculture and stimulate growth ensure food security and foster our self-reliance. Indeed it is a call to action for everyone from smallholder farmers to large scale agribusiness investors in order to contribute towards this revolutionary strategy,” Dr. Igga stated.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to working with international partners to implement innovative solutions to improve the efficiency and productivity of the agricultural sector.
“The government of South Sudan reaffirms its readiness to work hands in gloves with our international development partners I really must not leave out to appreciate and congratulate our international partners who are 24 hours standing by our side, shoran jizilen le intum….because together we can implement innovative solutions to improve efficiency and productivity of the agricultural sector,” he emphasized.
According to Igga, the government has set a target to increase agricultural output, which is in line with the African Free Trade Area (AFTA) goals.
“We have to think out of the box and we do that through the adoption of sustainable agricultural practices modern therapies to meet the growing Africa food requirements and global, not only continental trade opportunities thereby reducing post-harvest loss greatly and tripling intra-Africa trade in agricultural products and inputs maybe within a period of 10 years and this is in line with AFTA no disobedience, you know it in line with AFTA and raising the sale of locally processed food,” he said.
The Vice President further pointed out that the government has a plan to integrate and illustrate commitment in carrying out strategic national policies including the budget for agricultural development.
However, this call to action aligned with the president’s call to invest in agricultural development for a brighter, more food-secure future in South Sudan.
On January 1, 2025, President Kiir in his New year’s message, promised to give agriculture top priority in an effort to improve the nation’s food security.
The head of state also directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to help farmers around the country enhance yields.
“In the year 2025, the government will prioritize agriculture to enhance our food security. I am therefore directing that the Ministry of Agriculture double its efforts to support farmers across the country to improve yields,” President Kiir stressed.