Minister of Agriculture Discusses Strengthening Partnership with FAO Director-General

Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, Professor Ismat Qureshi, stated that Sudan looks forward to strengthening cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), especially given the extensive damage inflicted on the agricultural sector, estimated at approximately US$10 billion according to a report by the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development.

During his meeting with FAO Director-General, the Minister, who is participating in the FAO conference on Africa being held in the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, expressed his sincere thanks and appreciation to the FAO for its efforts in supporting and developing the agricultural sector in Sudan. He commended the role played by Abdelhakim El-Waer, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative of the FAO for the Near East and North Africa, as well as the FAO Country Representative in Sudan, Mr. Hong, in mobilizing resources, implementing programs and projects, and building capacity in various fields.

The Minister commended the FAO’s methodology in Sudan, which is based on partnership and full coordination with relevant stakeholders, stating that this distinguishes it from other organizations.

The Minister called for support for efforts to rehabilitate the gene bank of the Agricultural Research Corporation, as well as for mobilizing funding from donors and development partners to implement development projects within the framework of the South-South Cooperation Initiative.

The Minister also extended an invitation to the Director-General to visit Sudan and assess firsthand the needs for rebuilding the agricultural sector.

For his part, the FAO Director-General affirmed the organization’s commitment to supporting Sudan, particularly smallholder farmers, and to working on rehabilitating the agricultural sector. He also expressed his readiness to communicate with partners to schedule outstanding payments and confirmed the organization’s support for rehabilitating the gene bank and agricultural projects, with special attention to the Gezira Scheme.