The assistant commissioner for agriculture in Yei River County is urging parties to the recently signed peace deal to observe the ceasefire agreement and allow civilians embark on agriculture.

Speaking to Radio Tamazuj, Edmund Gogo also called on the government and opposition forces in Yei to lay down their arms and embark on agriculture, as a strategy to fight hunger and poverty.

Gogo said if the parties commit to implement the peace agreement, all efforts should be shifted to agriculture.

“The next enemy is hunger and we must hand down our guns and go to the farm to produce food for consumption and export to other parts of the country to generate for us some income to improve our living conditions,” he added.

He further said all the farmers who were displaced by the conflict can only return and resume their production once there is peace.

Gogo urged farmers across the country to take advantage of the coming dry season to plant crops like beans, vegetables both on land and river banks cultivation.

“In the third season farmers are advised to plan the same crops they have been planting in the first season and these crops in question include beans, maize, onions, okra and many more. Once we are in the dry season, farmers can use water canes to water their crops,” he advised.

Yei River State lies within South Sudan’s greenbelt region with favourable amounts of rain and fertile soils.

Since the peace agreement was signed last month, Yei River State has experienced continued hostilities amongst forces in the area.