Citizens in Torit State are likely to face severe hunger due to poor rainfall and poor harvests, a state official in the ministry of agriculture said.
Romeo Ojinga, the Director-General in the state ministry told Radio Tamazuj that farmers faced many challenges last year, threatening food security in the state in 2019.
“First of all the rain pattern was a problem. The harvest is not as the ones of 2017 and 2018. The first season last year the rains were but all of a sudden the rain patterns changed. When the rains changed it destroyed most crops by drought,” he said.
Ojinga also revealed that many fields have been destroyed by fire in the current dry season further destroying the little crops that survived the droughts.
“The few crops that survived are now burnt so there is a threat that we are going to experience hunger in the state not only Torit town but all the areas in the state,” he lamented.
The official urged all farmers whose crops were burnt to report to the police for authorities to support them.
“Let them go and report to the police and then the police will bring the letter to us and then we will create committees to go and survey the area. After surveillance then we will send a letter to the RRC for support,” he said.
In October 2018 Torit State governor warned of looming hunger after poor harvests were recorded then.