AfDB grants $8.1m to support food production in S. Sudan
July 17, 2022 (JUBA) – The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved $8.1million to fund emergency food production programme in South Sudan.
The grant, allocated through the transition support facility, constitutes additional financing to the ongoing Agricultural Markets, Value Addition and Trade Development Project (AMVAT), AfDB said in a statement.
“AMVAT seeks to contribute to reduced food insecurity, poverty reduction, economic growth and building of community and household resilience and social cohesion,” partly noted the July 17 statement.
This emergency food production programme, it said, targets an additional 600,000 of the most vulnerable groups in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile, Eastern Equatoria, Western Bahr el Ghazal and Western Equatoria states of South Sudan, where recent severe flooding has affected hundreds of thousands of households and resulted in heavy crop and livestock losses.
“It is a continuation of the of the performing AMVAT project, but with a focus on the emergency food crisis and disruption of supply of critical inputs for food production in South Sudan”, Nnenna Nwabufo, AfDB’s Director General for East Africa stated.
The project will reportedly boost agricultural production and productivity in the five states using improved seeds, fertilizer and extension services for farmers and to strengthen the institutional capacity of the agricultural sector.
Specifically, 498 million tonnes of sorghum seeds, the same amount of cowpea seeds, and 10 million tonnes of rice seeds will be distributed to farmers, who will also receive 30 million tonnes of fertilizer, the institution said.
“To ensure that these measures are effective and sustainable, the project has provided for the training of thousands of farmers, nearly half of whom are women, on good agronomic practices and the right application of fertilizer,” Themba Bhebhe, AfDB’s Country Manager for South Sudan said.
According to AfDB, once completed, the project will lead to a sustainable increase in the country’s agricultural production and productivity, higher incomes, and, improved quality of life for farmers. It will also help promote climate-smart agriculture and enhance the country’s food security.
To ensure continuity, implementation of the emergency food production programme has been entrusted to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which is already implementing the AMVAT project.
Exacerbated by climate hazards, the threat of a food crisis has long loomed over South Sudan, which has not been food self-sufficient since 2009. Some 8.9 million people, more than 70% of the population, including 4.6 million children, received humanitarian aid in 2022, further stressed the financial institution.
(ST)