Bilateral Meeting with H.E. Abubakr Omer Al-Bushra Ahmed, Minister for Agriculture and Natural Resources of the Republic of Sudan
©FAO/Giulio Napolitano
Rome - The FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu, met today with H.E. Abubakr Omer Al-Bushra Ahmed Minister for Agriculture and Natural Resources of the Republic of Sudan on the margins of the 176th Session of the FAO Council.
The Director-General welcomed the Minister and appreciated the strong collaboration between FAO and the Republic of Sudan, and reiterated FAO’s commitment to continue to support the Republic of Sudan, particularly with the ongoing crisis in the country.
The Minister thanked the Director-General and FAO for the support and work done by the FAO country team in the country. He appreciated the seed donation given to the small farmers and expressed the government’s intention to grow these farmers from smallholders to commercial farmers.
The Minister further expressed the intention of Sudan to join the FAO Hand in Hand Initiative and also requested technical assistance for assessment of the impact of war in Sudan and how it has affected agriculture and food production in the country, as this would help the country to mobilize resources to further develop agriculture. The Minister also requested technical support for technology transfer centers as these centers would assist the country to improve agriculture.
The Minister also raised the issue of mobilization of resources for rehabilitation of storage schemes which were destroyed during conflict noting that this would assist to revive and support farmers. The Minister raised the issue of IDPs and requested support for the internally displaced people.
The Director-General reaffirmed FAO’s willingness to provide the requested technical assistance and to continue to increase collaboration and support, especially with regard to the provision of seeds. He further affirmed the importance of the Hand in Hand Initiative (HiHI) for transitioning from humanitarian assistance to development, emphasizing its pivotal role for investment and growth.