GOSS committee for food security tours Western Equatoria

December 31, 2010 (YAMBIO) – On Thursday 30th December 2010, a Ministerial delegation from Government of southern Sudan (GOSS) on food security toured Western Equatoria state (WES) to assess the food security in the State.

Food experts have warned of acute food shortages in southern Sudan should the referendum votes confirm southern Sudan as a separate nation.

Addressing the Council of Ministers at the state secretariat, the chairman of GOSS committee for food security, the Minister of Commerce, and Investment, Stephen Dhieu said, “their mission to WES is part of their tour to five states of Southern Sudan.”

Dhieu disclosed that, “GOSS has come up with a strategy to prepare for the post referendum era in southern Sudan on Food Security”.

The Minister added “Our Mission here is to asses and collect information on food surplus available in WES, check the status of the storage buildings and their capacity and find the prices of vegetable food items in the market”.

Dhieu also revealed that “GOSS has planned to suspend taxes on food items to pave ways for the influx of food to the states of southern Sudan in the coming transition period”.

The GOSS Minster of agriculture Anne Itto said that her ministry has planned to focus on inputs to increase productivity by 2011 through support in seeds and tools.

Speaking during the briefings at the state Secretariat, she said the “mandate of her ministry is to produce quantity and quality food items to the market”.

Itto acknowledged the commitment and determination of the current state government to take heart in delivering the services needed by the communities despite the hardships.

The minister revealed with the recent encouragements from the state government to local produce from the farmers of the state will be bought until there is no more to be purchased.

She encouraged farmers “to work hard as a non oil producing state (WES) to have their revenue from the soil in order to have access to surplus food items to feed the rest of southern Sudan as state was the bread basket of SPLA murky days”.

The minister of agriculture urged the state government to encourage farmers to produce more as GOSS is going to purchase the food items to feeds other states.

GOSS Minister of Cooperatives Jemmy Lemi Milla urged the state government “to empower farmers through cooperative society”.

Lemi revealed that the Ministry of Cooperatives in the Government of southern Sudan has drafted a bill that will validate cooperatives all over the southern Sudan to function freely.

The Governor of Western Equatoria state Col Bengasi Joseph Bakosoro said that “the entire Western Equatoria is yeaning for food security in the state.

Bakosoro said that “Western Equatoria state has surplus food items,” however he lamented that the improvement of security of the state which is paramount will enable farmers produce more.

LRA rebel’s imported atrocities have crippled food items in the state as five years have seen enormous displacements of farmers from their fertile land to urban centers.

However Bakosoro mentioned that on his recent tour to all the counties of the state on referendum campaign, “a lot of food items have been produced by the local communities but roads are impassable more specially during rainy season.”

In his New Year message the Governor called upon the people of western Equatoria State “to focus on the improvement food production by 2011 in spite the purported insecurities in the state”.

Bakosoro urged the delegation to take security impediments issues to the top hierarchy GOSS for the success of the referendum.

Southern Sudan conducts referendum votes on January 9, 2011

(ST)