Unlike in the past few years, farmers in South Sudan’s Aweil State said there is a drop in rice yield this year’s farming season.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Friday, the director general in the state Agriculture ministry, Samuel Ajiing Uguak said due to floods, rice production is less than originally estimated.

He further said floods affected about 1,500 hectares of land prepared for cultivation at the Aweil Rice Scheme. Ajiing explained that floods, which occurred in June this year, occupied spaces targeted for rice cultivation before the actual work could begin.

“The rice scheme has totally failed because the floods were too heavy. About 1,500 hectares were proposed, but not implemented,” Ajiing said.

He urged the government and its partners to consider developing the project, saying such floods need building of conduits to support progress of the rice scheme in the future.

Aweil Rice Scheme is a national rice project that was established in 1950s.