The government of South Sudan launched on Wednesday the Food Security Council in Juba, while announcing several measures aimed at encouraging cultivation at the start of the planting season.
This comes after stark warnings of a potential famine owing to continuing civil war, which has halted production at the Unity oil fields, driven more than a million people from their homes and fields, and destroyed numerous markets.
Speaking at the launch ceremony at the former ministry of parliamentary affairs, President Salva Kiir in his speech reminded his audience that the launch is a continuation of previous efforts to encourage agriculture in the country.
“You could recall that on the 14th of May 2012 I issued the Presidential Order No. 15/2012 for the formation of the Republic of South Sudan Food Security Council under my chairmanship and the minister of agriculture as the secretariat,” he stated.
President Salva Kiir praised the country for its riches of natural resources, mineral resources and proudly remarked that South Sudan is one of the few God-blessed countries in the world for its resources.
He then said in the spirit of their continued support for agriculture he is donating to the ministry a thousand tractors for cultivation in all the country. He also directed the ministry of finance to give whichever support was necessary in terms of resources for agriculture.
Describing the role of the new food security council, President Salva Kiir said, “This is the highest decision making body that has the difficult and yet important task of championing the cause of realizing to improve food availability and enhance nutrition in our country in collaboration with other stakeholders including the private sector civil society community and the development partners.”
Minister of Agriculture Beda Machar Deng warned that oil income was not to be relied on, arguing that it will run out very soon but then instead the country should invest in agriculture.
He said, “Achieving the development growth in South Sudan depends on increasing the productivity and profitability in small-scale farming and agro-business,” he stated.
The minister said they dream to take agriculture to the next level in the next five years, announcing ambitious goals to invest in agricultural transformation, and improve animal health through vaccination programmes.
On the other hand the representatives of the international non-governmental Organizations and development partners, including the heads of the USAID, EU, IGAD, FAO, WFP, IBRD/World Bank delegations in South Sudan expressed their support for the people of South Sudan in agriculture sector but also expressed their disappointment in how they find difficulties when trying to reach people who are in need of aid.
They complained of many checkpoints and taxes imposed on the humanitarian trucks and vehicles when transporting aid to the needy. Reacting to this, president Kiir reiterated his order to the security organs to not put any impediments on the roads to the humanitarian trucks and vehicles.
“You talked about the road blocks and I think I gave this order a few days back. And here now I’m repeating it in front of you for the minister of defense, the minister of interior, and the minister for the national security to follow this directive that there are no road blocks to relief convoys because when you block the relief convoys and then you demand anything, that means you derail the relief work completely and nobody would be saved,” the president remarked.
The USAID top leader and other international organizations who were attending the event were not the first people to raise this point. UN Humanitarian Coordinator Toby Lanzer during a press conference earlier this week said it was disturbing that the authorities along the road continue impose impediments to the humanitarian trucks and vehicles delivering aid to the people in need.
About a week ago, the head of FOA organization upon addressing the journalists at the UNOCHA compound also expressed the need for the humanitarian organizations to be free from any road obstacles.
Finally, the president declared the planting season launched and the Republic of South Sudan Food Security Council opened.
“Finally, I pray to God to bless South Sudan this year with sufficient rains in order for us to enhance our efforts in producing foods for our families and for our country. With these few remarks I take this opportunity to declare and launch the 2014 agricultural season,” he said.
Photo: Minister of Justice and Minister of Electricity at the launch event, 16 April 2014