South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has vowed to ensure that money from oil is used to support agriculture.
Kiir was speaking while visiting his farm in Luri County, west of Juba on Sunday. President Kiir witnessed harvest of beans, groundnuts, sorghum, maize and rice produced by Luri Farm Ltd. and Freedom Farm Limited.
The South Sudanese leader was accompanied by First Lady, Mary Ayen Mayardit and the first vice president, General Taban Deng Gai.
“We want to use oil money in agriculture so that we produce enough food for people of South Sudan, the surplus can go to the market. This is the only thing we can do to come out of poverty,” he said.
Income from oil accounts for 98 percent of the country’s budget.
“The oil money should not just be consumed without anything being done with it,” Kiir stressed.
The president encouraged citizens to embark on agriculture. “People who are not doing anything in agriculture should also do it. If I can do this with my colleagues like Taban, why would anybody else not do it? We want everybody to embark on agriculture,” he said.
Despite the huge agricultural potential South Sudan possesses, only about 5 percent of the country’s arable land is reportedly cultivated.