Farmers in Agok in Wau County have called on the Western Bahr el-Ghazal State Ministry of Agriculture and FAO to provide them with pesticides and herbicides to protect their crops.
State FAO field head office Tafiqul Islam acknowledged the request, saying his office would work the Agriculture ministry to address the matter.
We have visited a sorghum field with the minister and taken note of some challenges facing the famers, Islam said.
One of the Agok farmers, Dr Bashir Dor, said his sorghum had come under severe attack by the striga weed this year, threatening the production.
Dor urged the State Ministry of Agriculture and FAO to secure his farm and those of his colleagues facing similar challenges.
Islam said he hoped to give technical support to the farmers to control the weeds and improve the production amidst the many challenges.
“The ministry and FAO need more interactions with the farmers so that they can get technical and extension support to increase their productions,” he said.
Western Bahr el-Ghazal State Minister for Agriculture Valentino Akec has over the past week been touring farms to assess the level of their yearly production.
Last week, Akec visited Atido, Marial-Bai and Bussere areas.
“Our visit is part of our continued assessment of the progressive farmers in Western Bahr el-Ghazal State. We have come here today to assess the level of agriculture in Western Bahr el-Ghazal State for the year 2024-2025,” said.
Akec said his ministry had recently formed a taskforce to deal with pests, deceases and weeds affecting the crops.