Citizens urged to shun importation of vegetables

By Sheila Ponnie
The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has called on the citizens to shun the mentality of importing basic food items like vegetables, which can be locally produced.
Speaking at the launch of the household gardening project in Gurei at the outskirts of the capital Juba last week, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Josephine Lagu said it was disturbing that citizens were outsourcing so much money to purchase vegetables from neighbouring countries.
“Why do we have to import cabbages, egg plants, tomatoes and other vegetables yet we can grow them in our own country?” she questioned.
The project launch was conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and food security last week at Daughters of Mary Immaculate Monday last week.
The launch was done under the theme “Grow your own Vegetables”, with an aim of promoting backyard and home gardening for improved nutritional status among vulnerable households in Juba, Malakal, Aweil, Nimule, and Wau.
The project also aims to mitigate food insecurity brought about by the coronavirus disease due to the restriction of commodities and subsequent fluctuation of prices.
“We are encouraging growing of vegetables so that we can stop importing vegetable from our neighbouring countries and I think it’s our responsibility to show other countries that South Sudan can actually grow vegetables and in few years we can also sell to them,” she said.
She said the ministry was also encouraging the farmers to embark on large-scale production of vegetables for commercial purposes.
“The reason as to why we encourage back yard farming is to ensure that the famers who depend exclusively on vegetables production can grow enough not just for their families but also for sale,” she explained.
She added that there was a need to demonstrate to the outside world that that South Sudan is capable of growing vegetables locally.
Meshack Malo, FAO Country Representative highlighted that due to COVID-19 that the programme came at the right time as participants will focus on their project without unnecessary movements.
“I think we have come at a realization of how we can easily be locked up at our own homes within short or no notes at all, you can find yourself that you don’t need to move too far,” he said. “As a result of COVID-19 then you can grow your own vegetables and you don’t need to move far.”
Malo added that FAO is aiming at moving the project to all parts of the country.
The Country Programme Coordinator of Daughters of Mary Immaculate (DMI) Jeny Maila highlighted what the organisation does to women and men working at the farm.
Maila said the organisation offers training to famers coming from different parts of the country and that the organisation aims at promoting farmers to work on larger scales.
“We offer them capacity building training that is meant to help the farmers to work in a larger scale in order to cultivate more vegetables and other crops,” she said.
Stella slovisto, a resident of Gurei who has benefited from the training told The City Review that the project has eased her gardening work and increased productivity.
“I am grateful to be part of the DMI gardening group, before at my home I was just having a very small garden behind my house of which I could dig without any skills.
“when I joined this group I learnt a lot of skills like planning my vegetables on rows and lines giving the plants space and also weeding them and putting the use of manure to make the soil fertile,” she stated.