Aweil Centre Commissioner appeals for urgent seeds distribution

The Commissioner of Aweil Centre County in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State is appealing to agricultural agencies and the Ministry of Agriculture to distribute seeds and farming tools to people affected by floods there.

The Commissioner of Aweil Centre County in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State is appealing to agricultural agencies and the Ministry of Agriculture to distribute seeds and farming tools to people affected by floods there.

Last year, flash floods displaced hundreds of people in the area and destroyed farmlands.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Thursday, Commissioner Peter Natale called on partners to urgently respond to the needs of the farmers in the area.

“There is a big gap because the floods had destroyed all crops in the previous year and there were people who lost their all farms”, Natale said.

Some of the farmers who spoke to Radio Tamazuj are requesting for distribution of a variety of seeds including sorghum.

“We need sorghum and all types of seeds,’’ said Marko Guot, one of the local farmers there.

“Last year the rain was so heavy and many crops were destroyed and people are suffering, some people are now buying food items from the market because they reaped nothing from their farms,’’ he added.    

For his part, the Chairperson of Northern Bahr el Ghazal’s Relief and Rehabilitation Commission said he has already discussed the matter with humanitarian organizations and other agencies there.

Dut Majokdit Nyikok added that the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations has pledged to distribute the seeds by the first week of May.   

“I called all the organization last time, we talked and FAO is ready to distribute seeds to the farmers in all five counties of Northern Bahr el Ghazal by the first week of May,” he said.