South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Jenifer James
President Salva Kiir Mayardit has directed the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security to focus on enhancing food security in 2025.
Kiir while delivering his New Year message on Tuesday in Juba emphasized the importance of supporting farmers, improving yields and ensuring market access as key priorities for the government in 2025.
“I am directing the Ministry of Agriculture to double its efforts in supporting farmers across the country to improve their yields,” said Kiir.
He also directed the Ministry of Roads and Bridges to rehabilitate and construct roads leading to Western Equatoria State to enable farmers to access markets.
Kiir also ordered the Ministry of Defense and Veterans Affairs to remove illegal checkpoints along roads to guarantee the safety and security of travelers.
He stressed that agriculture is central to South Sudan’s development agenda and critical to addressing food insecurity in the nation.
Kiir acknowledged the economic challenges the country faced in 2024, which led to delays in implementing key peace agreement provisions and postponing general elections to 2026.
However, he noted progress in several sectors, including water access, energy, and infrastructure development.
In December last year the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security launched the Rural Enterprises for Agricultural Development (READ) program to be supported with a grant of 16.8 million U.S dollars.
This program is supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP). Other Partners that will be implementing the project together with UNDP are Cooperative Bank of South Sudan and International Labor Organization (ILO).
The program focuses on food security enhancement, income generation, and building the capacity of rural households across South Sudan.