By Hou Akot Hou
A general seed distribution exercise for local farmers led by the Ministry of Agriculture in Northern Bahr el Ghazal state in collaboration with partners in Aweil East County has turned tragic.
The exercise turned into a nightmare after an old woman who queued-in to receive the seeds got killed by a trunk of a tree that fell on them while seated waiting to get their share.
Anei Deng Akok, the Minister for Agriculture and Forestry disclosed to the Media Thursday evening that the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) was doing the distribution in Aweil East County on Wednesday when the incident about the death of an old woman occurred while in a queue under a tree.
“People of Rialdit, Mangar-tong and Pingdong areas were made to converge at Mabil-Apuoth as an epicenter which is a historical place for distributions and meetings. People sat under a tree in the evening for registration and in the process of doing that the trunk of a tree fell on people and hit on spot Abuk Yai Adim who died,” minister Akok narrated the tragedy.
He said some of the people hit during the seeds’ distribution registration were transported to hospital for medical attention.
Deng said this season is a planting season and that compelled them to cooperate with the organizations to tell the humanitarian partners to speed up in distributing seeds now to allow people fight hunger through cultivation.
“We are just embarking on humanitarian partners and that is why we ask them to distribute seeds early to the people to fight the hunger on their own. There is a climate change and we urge the NGOs to give seeds to our people early enough,” Anei hinted.
He added that the international organizations are targeting 29,825 households to receive seeds and the partners including; World Vision International, NRC, KUCDA, GIZ, among others are engaging the farmers.