By Taban Henry
The farmers’ federation in Kabo Boma of Luri Payam on Tuesday received a grinding mill as a donation from the Society of Daughters of Mary Immaculate and collaborators (DMICs).
This came after the community in Kabo requested for a grinding mill saying they were facing a lot of challenges especially traveling long distance from Kabo to Gudele in order to take sorghum for grinding.
The donation was made with funding from Caritas Germany who have been supporting the DMI for a long time.
Speaking during the handing offer ceremony, the chairperson of Kabo Baraka farmers’ federation Charles Sebit said Kabo farmers enterprise have five groups and a federation formed of 15 members to speak on behalf of the farmers.
He said they get their source of income through the support from DMI and they also have the business of growing rabbits.
“The biggest thing in our presence is that we have a grinding mill as a donation brought to us the farmers and that is why we are celebrating it today. The grinding mill is going to grind four types of items that is to say maize, sorghum, cassava and okra,” Sebit said.
“The grinding mill we are going to charge money and the price will be the same like that one in Juba market the reason is to buy fuel and for the maintenances of the grinding mill as well as those working in it,” he elaborated.
Sebit urged the farmers to plant okra in abundances saying later they shall have value addition of which they wanted to standardize the okra in a good shape in the name of Kabo dry okra.
“Finally we also have challenges; first of all we don’t have a permanent place for us the farmers to do with our business in the market here. We call upon the chief to allocate a permanent place for the grinding mill to be placed for us to run our business of the grinding mill,” he appealed to local authorities.
Salwa Wani Dafala another farmer in Kabo said the presence of the grinding mill in the area will now help address the challenges they have been facing in the area.
She said that they have been traveling from Kabo to Gudele in search of the grinding mill.
“We have been suffering a lot traveling from Kabo to Gudele in such of the grinding mill coupled with the current highway our children could not be able to take the grains to Gudele because we fear that they might be knocked by the vehicles and we as the elderly could not also move for long distance but now the presence of the grinding mill has helped,” she said.
Moses Malish Juma, the representative of the chief of Kabo said they have been having challenges of grinding mills however he appreciated the organization of DMI for the support adding it shouldn’t be the first and the last in providing such much needed services to the communities.
“We learned of the information that the farmers group requested DMI about the issue of the grinding mill since 2017 up to date that is why the grinding mill reached here, it should not only be the grinding mill but you should also provide for them salons and training of auto mechanics,” he requested.
Meanwhile Selva Raj, of Doshi Motor Limited stated that they supplied the grinding machinery and they will install and train the operators.
“We are business people at the same time focusing on small scale farmers supporting and empowering the small scale farmers by not only supplying machineries but also offering backups and training. Doshi motors will support the Kabo farmers’ federation all the way,” he said.
For her part Rengis Mary SDMIC Country Director congratulated the farmers’ federation. SDMIC has been working for the last two years with the farmers, women and youth.
“We always look for the long sustainability and that may help you to improve your day to day life. This will help your children to get higher with their education. The long sustainability today is that we see the need of installing the grinding mill into this community of Kabo. We have heard the challenges that were mentioned about the moving along way from Kabo to Gudele for the grinding mill but today it is installed in your community,” Rengis said.
She said the farmers’ federation is the winner of the grinding mill. Adding “One thing I want from the community is to make use of the grinding mill for your welfare, take care of it and know that it belongs to your community.