Meeting with The Honourable Josephine Lagu Yanga, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of the Republic of South Sudan

Rabat - FAO Director-General QU Dongyu met today in Rabat with The Honourable Josephine Lagu Yanga, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of the Republic of South Sudan, on the margins of the 33rd Session of the FAO Regional Conference for Africa (ARC33).

The Minister conveyed her appreciation for the joint visit of the FAO Director-General, together with the IFAD President and WFP Executive Director to South Sudan in August 2023, stating that it had been a momentous occasion for the people of South Sudan.

The Minister informed that the government recognized the importance of agriculture and the work of FAO in the country and had decided to increase financing for agriculture to increase fisheries, and to workon increased water resources management to cut down on food imports. She further highlighted that an agriculture master plan was being implemented in the country to mechanize agriculture and to revitalize agriculture projects, as well as to empower smallholder farmers.

The Minister further expressed their intention to focus on science and innovation and requested FAO’ssupport in this regard, including for the digitalization project launched in the country in 2023 to help identify the needs of farmers. The Minister stated that South Sudan recognizes the importance of food security and wished to focus on local food production to increase food security. She also stated the need for smart agriculture and that she was encouraged by the leadership of Morocco in agrifood systems transformation and wished to explore opportunities for collaboration.

Finally, the Minister informed that the government realized the need to empower more women in the agriculture sector in furtherance of their policy to attain food sovereignty. She thanked FAO for its support of the National Food Compact which had gained a lot of recognition and attracted investors. She also thanked FAO for support on the One Country One Priority Product (OCOP) Initiative.

The Director-General reaffirmed FAO’s commitment to further strengthen cooperation with South Sudan for the transformation of its agrifood system to achieve the Four Betters. He appreciated the leadership of the government of South Sudan in their efforts to eradicate hunger and stated that FAO looked forward to continuing and further strengthening the fruitful relations.