Agriculture Minister: River Nile State Well Positioned to Achieve Food Security
Ad-Damer – Sudanhorizon
Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation Ismat Qureshi affirmed his full support for the agricultural sector in River Nile State, praising its pivotal role in securing food supplies and sheltering millions of citizens during the war.
During his visit to River Nile State today, Wednesday, to monitor the progress of the current summer agricultural season, the minister praised the agricultural strategy presented by the state government and its alignment with the vision of the “Government of Hope.”
He revealed that the state received a substantial share of financing provided by the Agricultural Bank for the first phase of the agricultural season, amounting to approximately 700 billion Sudanese pounds.
For his part, River Nile State Governor Mohamed Al-Badawi Abu Qaroun affirmed that the state places the agricultural sector at the top of its priorities, describing it as the genuine pathway toward revitalizing the national economy. He highlighted the state’s fertile agricultural land and diversity of field and horticultural crops.
The governor explained that the state’s strategy focuses on vertical expansion to increase productivity, linking agriculture with agro-processing, increasing exports, and opening foreign markets for the state’s products. He pointed to efforts to improve export infrastructure, particularly the development and expansion of Atbara Airport and its dry port.
Abu Qaroun outlined the main challenges facing the sector, foremost among them agricultural pests, electricity supplies, and the need for land reclamation. He called for additional support, particularly in machinery and equipment, as well as greater activation of the role of agricultural engineers.
He also praised the experience of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in rice cultivation at the Al-Aliab Agricultural Scheme and commended the performance of the state’s Technology Transfer Fund, calling for greater support and empowerment to enable it to continue contributing to the development of agricultural production.
In the same context, Director-General of the Sudanese Agricultural Bank Salah Al-Din Mohamed Abdel-Rahim provided an update on the bank’s efforts to support the agricultural season. He confirmed that arrangements for the second phase of financing had been completed and that the bank was ready to finance the upcoming winter agricultural season.
State Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources Engineer Abdel-Wahab Suleiman also provided a detailed briefing on agricultural performance and achievements during the season, as well as the main obstacles and challenges facing the sector.
The River Nile governor stressed that the state is well positioned to achieve food security for the country and make a greater contribution to increasing exports, given its agricultural resources, diverse production, and the infrastructure and capabilities it possesses to link production with agro-processing and open foreign markets for Sudanese products.
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