South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Simon Deng
The Governor of Jonglei State, Dr. Riek Gai Kok , On Sunday visited the Anyidi area to launch an agricultural farm project in the Ajah Ager area of Anyidi Payam, Bor County.
Kok announced that the state government has invited a team of experts from the University of Juba, the University of Upper Nile, and Dr. John Garang Memorial University of Science and Technology to draft a roadmap for large-scale mechanized agriculture.
He said that the agricultural farm project will involve the cultivation of essential food crops, including maize, sorghum, rice, sesame, and groundnuts. It is expected to attract people from neighboring areas such as Pibor, Ayod, Akobo, and Pochala.
“For those interested across our country and beyond our borders, you are invited to seize the opportunity to invest in agriculture. This initiative will boost our economy, enhance our food security, and uplift our people from poverty,” he said.
Kok noted that the state government has been directed by President Salva Kiir to embark on food production to make all citizens self-reliant in terms of food security, adding that the people of Bor County are ready to engage in agriculture.
“We are prepared as the government of Jonglei State, alongside the people of Bor County, especially in Anyidi Payam. We will work together to honor the sacrifices of our martyrs by becoming self-reliant,” he said.
“Jonglei, particularly Bor County, is poised to become the agricultural hub for all of South Sudan. We are guided by the vision of the SPLM, which emphasizes that we should rely on the food we produce locally,” he added.
Governor Kok will be joined during the launch on Monday by Hussein Abdelbagi Akol, the national minister of agriculture and food security, as well as representatives from the World Bank and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
Last week, Governor Kok, accompanied by Kuol Manyang Juuk, the Senior Presidential Advisor, launched a separate agricultural farm project in the Mathiang area of Baidit Payam in Bor County.
