Eastern Sudan farmers plan cooperatives as herders are arrested
KHARTOUM-Farmers in eastern Sudan are in the advanced stages to establish cooperative companies that will use collective economic and bargaining power to provide them with the necessary supplies and equipment for agriculture and marketing their produce, according to news agencies, that also reported the arrest of herders who attacked farms in Darfur.
Farmer Ahmed Shoula, a leading member of the largest and most widespread group of farmers in El Gedaref, launched an initiative among the farmers aimed at establishing cooperative agricultural companies for each group of farmers to be registered and work in the areas of providing agricultural inputs from mechanisms, spare parts, fuel, and good quality seed.
He told reporters recently that the company of his group will supply machinery, fertilisers, pesticides, and all the farmers’ needs without the need for an intermediary to put pressure on the profits. It will also provide “free fuel” directly and establish a warehouse for farmers.
He explained that this method removes farmers from the corporate system and from the control of financiers and their control over the markets, adding that the companies will also enter into marketing the produced crops and direct them towards the best benefits for sale.
Herders arrested
Meanwhile, government news agencies in the country report that authorities days ago arrested five herders who attacked farms in Sheiria in East Darfur.
The executive director of Sheiria locality, Hasan Abdelrahim said that the area in which the incident occurred, happened “despite the migration tracks for herders being open”.
He stated that conflicts in the disputed area of Sheiria between farmers and herders erupt regularly during the autumn season, “due to the expansion of cultivated areas at the expense of pastures in Darfur.”
Abdelrahim went on to add that the authorities acted legally and that they have sufficient military force to intervene and resolve the conflict by force.
Tensions between herders and farmers
On May 15, Regional Governor of Darfur, Minni Arko Minawi, called for the traditional migration tracks of herders to be reopened speedily, and stressed reconciliation and tolerance among all components, in order to stabilise and expand agriculture in East Darfur.
Minawi called on leaders in El Daein to regulate relations between farmers and herders, properly demarcate paths and farms, and expand agriculture, “Which will require reconciliation and tolerance among all components”.
He also called on leaders to working together for the stability of the greater Darfur region, saying that “refusing dialogue amounts to exclusion and leads to war”. He pointed out that plans being carried out in the camps in El Daein does not deprive them of the status of the camps for the displaced.
https://thecooperator.news/ilo-supports-establishment-of-agro-cooperatives-in-sudan/
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