Sorghum warehouse in Renk County, Upper Nile State. | 3rd June 2022 | Credit; Michael Daniel.

Farmers in Renk County of Upper Nile State say they are unable to cultivate nearly a million acres of land due to the unfulfilled funding pledge made by the Board of Directors of the Agricultural Bank of South Sudan.

The leadership of the Agricultural Bank previously visited Renk and promised funding to farmers for the 2024 season.

But Kur Dau, one of the farmers, said over a million acres were prepared for plantation this year, only for such swathes of land to be left to fallow because of unfulfilled pledges.

He warned that with the absence of Sudanese production, famine will hit the city of Renk, along with other regions of South Sudan.

“We will be vulnerable to famine because the price of a bag of Dura in Renk is currently 130,000 pounds, which has never happened in the history of Renk,” said Kur.

“If we do not plant this year, we certainly cannot plant because we do not have the capabilities of agriculture, because a barrel of fuel is currently worth one million and three hundred, one million and two hundred,” he said.

“One million and four hundred thousand per barrel, so we cannot cultivate it. If we did not cultivate Renk itself, it would be vulnerable to famine, let alone the rest of South Sudan.”

The chief farmer called on the National Government to intervene urgently to save the situation before it is too late.

Kur also appealed to the government to hold accountable whoever was behind this destructive situation.

“We first appeal to the national government, if there is an actual budget allocated for this purpose in the Agricultural Bank, then it must intervene and ask who is responsible for this failure and be held accountable,” Kur said.

“The government should not remain silent, because this situation cannot be tolerated. The situation is very lame.”

Renk, located at the horn of South Sudan, benefits immensely from its socio-economic relationship with the Sudan.

But with the current political crisis in Sudan, Renk is likely to be affected.