Yei coffee farm. (Yei Farmers Limited/Facebook).

An agriculture official in Yei River County of Central Equatoria State said the number of coffee growers in the area has dwindled due to insecurity and inaccessibility.

Edmond Taban Gogo, the technical advisor and senior coffee extension officer at the Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Environment in Yei said only 1811 coffee farmers remain out of the previous 6,000.

Taban also said the current size of coffee farms amounts only to 1,424 feddans (598 hectares) in 12 bomas, registered this year.

According to him, each farmer is left with between 100 to 500 coffee trees in the area.

“We have currently 1,811 farmers who have the coffee, from 6,000 with a total of 1,424 feddans,” he said.

“It is because of insecurity and some of the areas have not been accessed by the farmers themselves and some of the farmers have lost some 3 to 4 feddans.”

“They lost almost everything only remaining with 100 [coffee] trees, 500 [coffee] trees but we managed to register this one especially this year.”

Edmond Taban has served in the agricultural sector for over 30 years – majority in coffee production.

He is also the author of a book titled “Robusta Coffee Handbook for The Green Belt growers.”

The entrepreneur encourages South Sudanese to ventured into food and cash crops to sustain their income.  

“Most of us who are working in the government offices should plant coffee at least half feddan or one feddan and then we should also plant other crops that will give us money and give us food and this is very important.”

According to him, coffee is normally planted in the first season beginning from April and ends mainly in September depending on the availability of rainfall.