S. Sudan delegation on visit to Belarus, with focus on signing contracts and achieving real economic results
A representative delegation of the Government of the Republic of South Sudan – including the ministers of investment and healthcare, deputy ministers of agriculture and food security, finance and planning, as well as representatives of several other departments – has arrived in Minsk at the invitation of the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus
The Chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party, Oleg Gaidukevich, explained that the visit aims at the development of trade and economic relations between Belarus and South Sudan, “Fourteen officials representing almost the entire government of South Sudan have come to Belarus, and the purpose of their visit is to develop relations with our country, and it is very easy for us to work in this region: the Belarusian President enjoys great authority there. Upon arrival in Minsk, South Sudan's Minister of Investment, Dhieu Mathok Diing, said, “I want my country to become like Belarus.”
By now, meetings of the Sudanese delegation have already been held at Belarus’ Agriculture and Food Industry and in Parliament. Mr. Gaidukevich clarified, “Negotiations at the Healthcare Ministry are next in line, and visits to Belarus’ major enterprises are planned. The goal is not just to get acquainted, but to sign contracts for the benefit of developing relations between our countries. A meeting at the Foreign Ministry is scheduled as well, and the main task is to achieve real economic results.”
South Sudan is interested in establishing co-operation with Belarus in agriculture, and the issue was discussed during a meeting at the Agriculture and Food Ministry. Dhieu Mathok Diing said then, “We are looking for reliable partners with whom we could work in the field of economic development. Our main focus is on agriculture at present. We are well aware of Belarus’ possibilities in this direction. The lands of South Sudan are very fertile. About 70 percent of our territories can be used in agriculture, but we use much less. We want to show the potential of Africa to Belarus, look at your proposals and invite you to South Sudan.”
According to the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of South Sudan, Lily Albino Akol, the country purchased 1,000 tractors from Belarus a decade ago. “This area is of particular interest to us, since Belarus is one of the leaders in the production of agricultural machinery. For example, we could work on setting up a tractor assembly facility in South Sudan. Tractor components are also important to us, and these include ploughs, trailers, attachments, and more,” she said. “The possibilities of our fisheries are also worth mentioning. We are also the leader in Africa in terms of livestock per capita. Accordingly, we can offer good opportunities for the development of commercial dairy farms. In addition, we are looking for opportunities to increase the grain harvest.”
In turn, the Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning of South Sudan, Agok Makur Kur, expressed interest in exchanging experience on technologies for producing oil from various crops, “We want to revive our coffee and tea industries. Cotton is another key crop for us, it is needed to produce clothing and oil. We also focus on production of vegetables (cabbage, carrots and tomatoes) and fruits (oranges and mangoes).”
Belarus’ First Deputy Agriculture and Food Minister, Sergei Fedchenko, explained in which areas Belarus is ready to co-operate with South Sudan, “Belarus’ agro-industrial complex is a high-tech, modern and highly-productive branch of the economy. It has been intensively developing over the past three decades thanks to the support of the state and the President’s personal participation. We not only satisfy the domestic market with food, but also have the opportunity to export significant volumes of products. The national technologies and modern equipment are used on our farms.”
According to Mr. Fedchenko, Belarus is ready to supply agricultural products and machinery to South Sudan. “Moreover, we can design large dairy farms and complexes. In addition, Belarus’ education in the agricultural sector is well developed: four higher educational institutions are part of the Agriculture and Food Ministry. At the same time, we can ensure not only basic training of specialists, but also retrain the existing personnel. We really have a lot of common interests, in particular, we are ready to share our experience in agricultural mechanisation and can offer all the necessary equipment for tillage. We hope to expand co-operation and increase trade turnover.”
