By James Innocent
Farmers in Yei River County of Central Equatorial State have realized a good yield and called on the government to provide more tools.
Speaking to the media, they said that food security has improved in the second farming season, an achievement toward hunger eradication.
Lomoro John, a senior member of the Araba Cooperative, said the group has cultivated more than 20 acres of cereals with an expected yield of over seven tons this year.
He explained that their efforts are aimed at reducing hunger in Yei and contributing to food availability in South Sudan.
“We only lack tools and capital to expand our farms. If we had more support, other farmers could learn from us,” John said.
The agriculturalists expressed that hunger had affected many households earlier this year as a result of insecurity that obstructed many people from cultivating.
He further encouraged farmers to practice crop rotation to maintain soil fertility and stabilize market prices.
“Farmers should not depend on one crop. While some grow maize, others should cultivate cassava, vegetables, or different crops. If everyone plants the same crop, prices will drop, and farmers will make losses,” he advised.
The farmer also noted that food prices in Yei have declined significantly in recent months, with the cost of a sack of grain dropping from 55,000 South Sudanese Pounds (SSP) to about 12,000 SSP.
The Central Equatoria Minister of Agriculture and Forestry recently encouraged young farmers and cooperative societies to use agriculture as a tool to fight hunger, saying Yei remains a key food-producing area in the state.
Similarly, Asiki Isaac, the County Agriculture Commissioner, urged farmers to intensify their efforts in the second season to prevent a repeat of the food shortages and high prices experienced earlier in the year.
In a related development, Yei River County Commissioner Emmanuel Taban Seme had earlier pledged government support to cooperatives and individual farmers as part of efforts to strengthen local food production and revive the economy.