A farmer harvests groundnuts. (File photo)

Authorities in Raja County of Western Bahr el Ghazal State expect a bumper harvest this year as the farmers have planted about 200,000 acres of land.

Adisson Arkangelo, the Commissioner of Raja County says the civilians embarked on mass farming after the authorities mobilized for what he calls food self-sufficiency and security in the area.

The locals, returnees, and refugees from Sudan have all cultivated food crops.

The crops planted, according to Arkanjelo, are mainly sorghum, peanuts cassava, and others.

He says the county expects a good harvest that will be enough to feed the people of Raja and the neighbouring areas.

“I can estimate the production we expect this season with 97% because most of the residents of Raja have done their part in terms of farming in a good way,” Arkanjelo said.

“The crops that were planted this agricultural season were peanut, and cassava as the main items people used as the main food across the county. Some people planted sorghum because they people depend on it, and others planted Onion,” he said.

“We expect a good production this season that will be enough for the people of Raja and the rest can be exported to other areas.”

The Commissioner said the farmers in the county have planted 100,000 to 200,000 acres of land.

“After our call as the government of a county we mobilized farmers,  have cultivated made across, and as a county, this season, we managed to cultivate over 100,000  to 200,000 hectares,” Arkanjelo said.

“Every citizen has used the little capacity they have because there was an issue of seeds that was a challenge, but we thank some NGOs like Support for Peace and Educational Development Program (SPEDP) that helped in providing seeds of Simsim, sorghum, peanuts, and other seeds,” he said.