Farmers in Renk town in South Sudan’s Eastern Nile State say pests and lack of funding could threaten the productivity of this year’s agricultural season in the area.

Several farmers told Radio Tamazuj yesterday that plant pests and diseases, besides the lack of funding pose a threat to crop production, saying this particular problem led to poor yields in the recent years.

For his part, Kur Dau, Minister of Agriculture in Eastern Nile State, admitted in an interview with Al Jazeera TV that the farmers are facing enormous challenges in the area.

He pointed out that absence of the Agricultural Bank is a challenge facing the farmers, besides the lack of resources.