The World Food Programme (WFP) in South Sudan has contracted a farmers’ association in Western Equatoria’s Yambio County to supply seventy metric tons of maize grain this year.

“The Farmers’ Association in Yambio County has indeed been contracted to supply seventy metric tons of maize, and some 39 metric tons have already been supplied. The rest will be supplied in the next few months”, said Anthony Ezekiel, proud Secretary of the Association.

Mr. Ezekiel added that they are purchasing the maize grains from small farmers’ cooperatives so that the money will trickle down the food chain and thus enable smaller farmers to expand their production capacity, while at the same time putting more food on people’s tables.

Ezekiel congratulated farmers in Yambio County on having successfully planted and harvested impressive amounts of crops this year, despite the insecurity prevailing in the area. This success will reduce hunger in the state and most likely also generate a surplus that can be sold to more needy parts of South Sudan.

Yambio Farmers’ Association works in partnership with organizations which support farmers with tools, seeds and different kinds of capacity building. Such assistance is much needed as most farmers in Western Equatoria are currently using local hand tools, with only the odd tractor being thrown into the agricultural production mix.

Ezekiel believes that the Association is likely to produce more than 300 metric tons of maize and other crops for own consumption and for selling to other interested parties.