FAO introduces long-term actions to assist South Sudan

 The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has concluded plans to provide series of emergency based on long-term actions to assist South Sudan state of Jonglei to feed itself.

As revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press statement by FAO, the UN agency is supporting the affected areas with the supply and distribution of livestock vaccines, fishing gear, vegetable seeds and tools.

The supplies, FAO said is necessary for cereal production in the world's newest nation, an indication that it’s currently about 19 per cent lower than the previous year and 25 per cent below the average for the last five years.

NaijaAgroNet also gathered that the supplies and distributions have moved towards long-term development and capacity building in South Sudan, even as the deficit in cereal for 2012 is estimated at more than 470,000 tonnes, which is about 50 per cent of the country's total consumption requirement for the year,

FAO said it intends to give vaccines and antibiotics to prevent the spread of animal disease and to treat up to 100 000 animals over the course of about a month, according to the FAO Livestock Officer, Nimaya Mogga, noted that South Sudanese are pastoralists or herders, hence cattle are their livelihood, "Without them, they are nothing."

Mogga stated that South Sudan is the sixth largest cattle economy in Africa, adding "Cattle are seen as wealth in South Sudan."

Another agricultural sector where the FAO is helping South Sudan is fishing which is being hampered by lack of fishing gear.

To this effect, FAO is making available 20,000 pieces of fishing gear to Boma and two other towns that were affected, in addition to helping local communities in the planting of vegetable gardens along river banks.

 'Yinka Awosanya

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