South Sudan's government announced yesterday that their president 'donated' 1000 tractors to the Ministry of Agriculture to boost food production. Officials were unclear as to whether the initiative was a private one headed by Salva Kiir, a government one or a joint public-private effort.

The top headline of SSTV News Hour on Thursday night was “President Kiir donates 1000 tractors.”

The state-run television reported, “President Salva Kiir Mayardit handed over 1000 tractors to boost food production in the country... The tractors were handed to the ministry of agriculture for distribution to farmers in the country.”

SSTV did not say how President Kiir had privately obtained 1000 tractors. Statements by officials indicated that the national army SPLA was involved in procurement of the tractors. The name of the contracted supplier was not disclosed.

During a ceremony handing over the tractors, Kiir said the tractors should be used for the public benefit, not by private individuals for their own use.

“Now that you have been given the tractors, don’t give them for individual, People must organize themselves, the farmers associations, the cooperatives…you will produce more food,” he said.

He added, “These tractors needs proper protection and this is the responsibility of the Minister of Agriculture in the states together with the National Minister of Agriculture. I will not be responsible for it but you are responsible.”

National Agriculture Minister Beda Machar disclosed, “We have already discussed how we are going to distribute these tractors, each state will take as per now 30 tractors each and then when they prepare themselves it will go to more than 100 tractors [each].”

Beda said there will be centers established in the states fully equipped to maintain and supply the tractors with fuel. fuel among others for the tractors. He explained the tractors will be distributed to farmers unions controlled by the government.

The average cost for the tractors has not been disclosed.

For his part, Minister of Defense and Veterans Affairs Kuol Manyang Juk said that the acquiring of 1000 tractors was achieved in collaboration with the SPLA military pension funds.

“This is because we realized that nobody, no institution took up the pledge of the president, then we decided to take up the move and it had to be implemented by whichever institution in the government, and of course the pension fund is investment and the Ministry of Finance will refund this money to the pension fund of SPLA,” he said.

Government officials including Kuol and Kiir himself also referred to a previously procured batch of 600 tractors. Kiir said these 600 tractors had been either put to use for private purposes or had stood idle.

Kuol commented, “I hope that our failure of not making good use of over 600 tractors delivered by our government in the past will be a valuable lesson to guide us in the good management of these 1000 tractors. If you never make a mistake then you never learn.”