S. Sudan keen to set up joint production of agricultural machinery with Belarus

The Agriculture and Food Ministry of Belarus has hosted a meeting with representatives of South Sudan. Minister of Investment of this country Dhieu Mathok Diing Wol first of all thanked for the invitation.

“South Sudan is keen and happy to develop co-operation with your country,” he underlined. “We are looking for reliable partners with whom we could work.”

The official stressed that the focus is primarily on agriculture, since South Sudan is well aware of Belarus’ opportunities.

“Our interaction won’t be based simply on exports or imports of certain products, we would like to liaise more closely,” noted Dhieu Mathok Diing Wol. “There are many opportunities in our country. We boast 600,000sq.m of fertile lands, of which almost 70 percent can be used, but now much less is being used for agricultural production.”

The Minister of Investment also noted that his country faces a range of problems, but would like to overcome them. Initially, representatives of the African continent wanted to invite our delegation to South Sudan, but then decided to first study Belarusian technologies.

Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of South Sudan Lily Albino Akol added that about a decade ago the government of this country had already purchased a batch of a thousand tractors from Belarus.

“This is of particular interest to us; your country is a leader in the production of agricultural machinery,” she noted. “We could set up a tractor production or an assembly plant in South Sudan.”

Lily Albino Akol also added that her country has seven farming zones – each suitable for cultivating certain crops.