Close to 50,000 households in Torit County of Eastern
Equatoria state are receiving seeds from the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization (UN-FAO) to combat hunger through farming as the rainy
season begins.
On Tuesday, during the launch of the seed distribution, FAO
representative Albino Silvestro announced that the distribution targets 49,230
households within the county. Each beneficiary will receive 5kg of sorghum, 5kg
of maize, 3kg of cowpeas, 10kg of groundnuts, 5kg of rice, and 2kg of sesame.
Additionally, they will receive vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, and okra,
among other greens.
“FAO, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, is
planning to support 49,230 households with assorted crops […] We expect each
beneficiary to receive what I have mentioned, and we shall also distribute
assorted vegetables,” said Silvestro.
He emphasized that the current devastating economic
situation in the country can only be addressed through intensive farming.
The Deputy Governor of Eastern Equatoria State, Mary Lodira,
has advocated for the provision of tractors for farming. She emphasized the
need for mechanization and highlighted the drawbacks of traditional methods. As
agricultural practices continue to evolve, she puts modern farming techniques
at the forefront.
“You can bring seven tractors, and they can be put in a
group of 30 people. Then the tractor will just go and cultivate so that we can
have a good harvest,” Lodira said.
“This issue of hoeing is an ancient system. You will be
cultivating while hungry; a person can become very tired. Especially pregnant
women, they cannot manage, and if the cattle are there, they should be trained
on farming.”
Although the residents of Torit raised concerns about the
denial of farming land by the indigenous people of Torit County, the State
Minister of Agriculture, Environment, and Forestry, Mr. Ochola Bosco Oringa,
has pleaded with the indigenous community to offer farming land to various
communities living in Torit Town.
“We received a lot of complaints from the people of Torit
Town in our office about farming. They say that the governor and our office are
supporting people to cultivate, but the issue of agricultural production that
we are talking about is that the people of Torit Town want to cultivate, but
the indigenous community of Torit did not give out land for people to
cultivate,” Bosco stated.
“I would like to ask you, now that the time for farming has
started, if any person within Torit wants to cultivate in any place, maybe in
the Municipality, Torit, or any side in Torit County, please give them a place
to cultivate so that food will come in surplus to Torit.”