By Alan Clement
South Sudan’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Lily Albino Akol, has identified persistent funding constraints as a major challenge facing South Sudan’s agricultural sector.
Addressing concerns raised by lawmakers over the ministry’s preparedness and strategic direction during the Fourth Ordinary Sitting of the Transitional National Legislature, Lily affirmed the ministry’s commitment to agricultural development despite the challenge of finances.
Lily told the August House, “The Ministry takes seriously the president’s call to develop agriculture in the country. The major challenge the ministry faces is lack of funding and lack of implementation of the budget as it comes because of the challenges the economy is facing.”
The deputy minister also disclosed that the ministry recently received about 100 tractors following the resolution of a dispute with a contracted supplier noting that the limited number of machines falls short of national needs.
“The ministry understands the burden of mechanization of agriculture which can be cumbersome on the farmers,” she explained. “As much as the ministry wants the farmers to use mechanization to enhance farming, we must also make it accessible.”
Lily explained that the ministry has initiated a policy to establish agro-mechanical centers across the country to address the issue of limited number of tractors. The centers are intended to manage mechanized farms and offer tractor services to farmers at affordable rates.
“We have identified targeted areas in the states,” Akol said, citing the newly established center at the Aweil Rice Scheme in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and a partnership with Igele Farms in Eastern Equatoria regarding the use of the tractors. She also highlighted that additional centers are being set up in Kapuri, Central Equatoria, and Renk in Upper Nile, though she said the latter faces logistical delays.
While pledging to submit a detailed report to parliament once the remaining tractors are delivered, the deputy minister also indicated that small allocations of tractors have also been made to Warrap, Jonglei, Western Bahr el Ghazal and Lakes States.
Deputy minister Lily, however raised alarm over the country’s worsening food security situation stating that, “The data on the last food security report in the country is not promising. Over 80% of the people of South Sudan are food insecure and assured lawmakers that this is something the members of the agriculture sector take seriously.”
The ministry is expected to present a detailed plan to the legislature outlining how it intends to tackle food insecurity and scale up agricultural productivity in the face of economic constraints.