South Sudan Launches Grains Council To Boost Agriculture - Oye! Times

The Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC) Executive Director, Mr. Gerald Masila handing over the certificate to the Vice President Riek Machar in Juba. [Waakhe Simon Wudu]The grain council will later on join the Eastern Africa Grain Council (EAGC) according to the South Sudanese Agriculture Minister, Dr. Betty Achan.

Dr. Riek Machar, South Sudanese Vice President who officially launched the Council underscored the move to join the EAGC, stressing that it will contribute to enabling South Sudan achieve its goal to have sufficient food by 2014.

“In 2012 Governor’s forum, the President said by 2014 we must be food sufficient,” Riek said, “With emphasis on this we may reach to our target which South Sudan by 2014 may be food sufficient.”

Dr. Riek said South Sudan faces challenges of having facilitators in the agricultural sector that the government can use to mobilize the farmers.

The initiatives of establishing the Grain Council will contribute in minimizing the challenge.

He also said joining bodies like the EAGC will address the challenge facing small scale farmers in accessing loans to boost their agriculture.

“So I see this council very important in helping our people get organized,” said Riek.

South Sudan’s 80% of the land is arable and the agricultural sector is dominated by smallholder mixed farming of livestock, food crops, cash crops, fishing and aquaculture.

The major food crops are sorghum, maize, cassava, rice, potatoes, bananas, beans, groundnuts, vegetables, sugar, wheat, millet and pulses.

Cash crops include tea, coffee, cotton, and sunflower.

The forest products include fruits, honey, herbal medicine, timber and wood for fuel.

Mr. Gerald Masila, EAGC Executive Director said that; “overall South Sudan has a great potential for producing tradable grain surplus when increasing focus on production, investment in infrastructure inducing storage and warehousing.”

He stated that, EAGC objectives aims at building and strengthening agricultural information generation, dissemination and coordination mechanisms at national and regional levels.

It enhances the capacity of industry stakeholders to appreciate and comply with international accepted standards for structured trading systems at the national, regional and international level.

It also strengthens farmer organizations, trade associations and related organizations so that they can contribute effectively to development of agricultural markets and improve enabling policy and regulatory environment to facilitate agricultural activities.