Peter Kong Biel, a farmer in Bentiu prepares his land for cultivation on June, 19, 2025 - (Credit: Lieth Nyak/Eye Radio)

BENTIU, Unity State (Eye Radio) – The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry in Unity State, Gai Gatduel, has made a fervent appeal for the prioritization of agriculture, asserting it is the crucial path to ending the region’s heavy reliance on humanitarian aid.

Speaking to Eye Radio in an exclusive interview from Bentiu town, Minister Gatduel emphasized his vision for a self-sufficient Unity State.

He believes that by maximizing agricultural production, communities could become self-sufficient in food and seeds within a single year.

This long-term strategy includes the vital establishment of local seed banks to ensure a consistent supply to farmers during both the dry and main planting seasons, fostering robust and sustainable food security across the state.

“If we can prioritize agriculture, this dependency will stop,” Minister Gatduel stated. “We will no longer depend on humanitarians.”

The Minister highlighted the “insufficient supply of seeds” as a current, pressing challenge hindering distribution efforts.

He explicitly called upon the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), identifying them as a key donor, to provide more seeds for farmers across all counties, including the immediate vicinity of Bentiu.

“We still have challenges,” he added, referring to the seed shortage. “We are requesting FAO, who is our main donor and can supply us with seeds. FAO is now communicating with us and has begun the distribution of the seeds in the counties,” Gai stated.

“We requested that FAO come and bring some seeds here because these are our farmers. They also need seeds. If they planted well, if they cultivated well this year, I think next year there will be no more challenge.”

Farmers in Bentiu are advocating for self-reliance through agriculture, with some sharing their views with Eye Radio.

Peter Kong Biel emphasized that farming is the only sustainable path, arguing that “depending on handouts will never stop hunger.”

Biel explained the shift in their practices: “We no longer farm as well as we used to in the past because after flooding that submerged our farms, we resort to government support. That is why we are appealing to the government to relocate us to higher ground where we can farm and produce our food.”

Echoing this sentiment, Tabitha Nyakut Patai, another farmer in Bentiu, stressed that farming remains “the best way to fight hunger.”

She added, “Farming is good because it was the only way to live and survive since creation. Even the UN will no longer provide humanitarian aid because that doesn’t sustain us; we should farm to stop the hunger.”