Jonglei woos investors to support agricultural sector
February 29, 2016(BOR) – The governor of South Sudan’s Jonglei state, Phillip Aguer has urged foreign investors to support initiatives to scale up agricultural production.
“We appeal to investors from within the country and abroad to help us because large-scale agriculture requires equipment, capital and skills”, said Aguer.
“We hope that we will continue to promote our economy so that we have a better future for Jonglei and for South Sudan”, he added.
The state has mobilized and registered 35 organised farmers who will be involved in direct food production this year in various counties of the new state, with support from the government using the 20 tractors received in Bor as part of the president 1,000 tractor-initiative distributed last year.
According to the governor, Jonglei state will be food secure once large food production is achieved in the former counties of old Jonglei state.
“We appeal to all agriculturalists from greater Jonglei to put their hands together so that we promote the economic situation in Jonglei, so that we it will in turn promote the economy of South Sudan, because agriculture is the backbone of the economy of South Sudan”, stressed Aguer.
Biar Kon Biar, the director for planning at Agriculture Bank of South Sudan was in Bor, said they would conduct assessment of state-owned farm.
“We are planning to cultivate cereal crops, sorghum, and millet and maize, this is in the short-term plan. In the long-term plan, we are planning to plant to cash crops like groundnut, sunflower, sim-sim and cotton in order to boost the economy of this country”, said Biar.
He said the farms would act as role models to the farmers in Bor and provide employment opportunities for the youth. The state has now deployed two tractors to plough the farm and is expected to produce thousand of bags if things go as planned.
(ST)