South Sudan receive $5m grant for food production
October 27, 2008 (JUBA) — The World Bank is backing a southern Sudan government project to address rising costs of food items with some 5 US dollars.
The grant agreement was signed Monday in Juba by the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning Kuol Athien Mawien on behalf of GoSS and the Manager of the World Bank Southern Sudan Program and Juba Office, Laurence Clarke on behalf of the International Development Association (IDA).
The project aims at increasing access to food for households that suffer from insufficient food supplies and to raise production level of staple food crops through animal traction for both own consumption and distribution through trade.
In an assessment carried out by FAO last June, Southern Sudan imports large volumes of food from neighboring countries. Food prices in Southern Sudan have risen steadily in the past few years, as it was the case elsewhere. FAO report states that own production could reduce the impact of food price increases.
Minister Mawien thanked the World Bank for its intervention in this important sector that is one of the priorities of (GoSS).
“The government is determined to pursue a coherent agricultural and rural development strategy aimed at raising the current low levels of agricultural productivity,” said the GoSS Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Samson Kwaje. ”
Under normal circumstances Sudan would have not benefited from IDA because it defaulted in paying its debts to international lenders but the Director of Strategy and Operations in the office of the World Bank’s Regional Vice President emphasized that because of the gravity of the food crisis, the Bank granted Southern Sudan $5 million to help it ensure food security.
The project activities would include introduction or revitalization of low cost food storage technologies, construction of community-based food and seed banks and introduction of animal traction technologies.
The activities will also include restocking of women groups with small ruminants and poultry, distribution of agricultural tools and seeds which will be mainly upland rice, cassava, maize, sorghum, groundnuts, beans, sesame and sweet potatoes.
(ST)
Augustino
South Sudan receive $5m grant for food production
Kuol Athian and the Goss,(maburukat a leekub)your congeratulations for good work you did by negotiating for the life of your people.But the question remain as who is going to be accountable and responsible for the use of this money? geting funds and spending it are two different things together. the areas which you have underlied for the use of this money are vital but who are these users who will thing like kuol Athian to work with logic and responsibe to spend this funds without corrupting it to their own pockets in the name of southerners.this money is good reputation for our government if it is gona be use as planned.
thanks
augustino in adelaide south australia
victim majok ayuen
South Sudan receive $5m grant for food production
A very good move in deed! the government has taken a very good initiative to propose such a project to the World Bank. I hope South Sudan is gonna purchase Tractors for all of the ten states of South Sudan and absolutely there is going to be a plenty of food production in our country. With this, we are only going to focus on Rebuilding no more food shortage!
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