Authorities in South Sudan’s Torit State have declared every Friday as a day for cultivation in order to boost agriculture.
The state government made this announcement on Friday last week.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, the state minister for information, Margret Idwa Okuye said the new move was taken to boost farming.
“As a tradition in our state, we have given Friday special attention so that we all go to the field. Employees should also have that opportunity to go and cultivate. This was declared on April 23, 2019, it commenced as from April 26, 2019 to October 31, 2019,” said Idwa.
She added, “Of course it is not just like that, but there are also conditions in targeting the employees of the state as beneficiaries of Friday as cultivation day and of course all these depend on the rains. When the rain is good, we can have yields”.
Idwa said most civil servants, in the past, used such days for recreational activities, but said they will ensure all recreational facilities, including bars among others, do not operate on Fridays.
“You can come and relax in the evening hours, but after you have already exhibited your efforts in cultivation. Secondly, employees should work in shifts to allow availability of hours on farming days, especially the ministry of health, education, local government and law enforcement agencies, among others,” she stressed.
The official did not, however, specify what penalties would be handed to civil servants and bar owners who violate the new order.
Declaration of cultivation days during raining seasons started in 2011.
Despite the huge agricultural potential South Sudan possesses, only about 5 percent of the country’s arable land is reportedly cultivated.