Britain to help reduce starvation in South Sudan

Britain will provide seeds and fishing kits to families in South Sudan to help ease a possible hunger crisis, British Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening said Monday. The materials will reach farmers before the rainy season begins in the African country at the end of April, after which they will be unable to sow their crops, the British Department for International Development (DFID) announced. The 8.3-million-pound (about 13.8 million U.S. dollars) grant aims to help 390,000 people feed themselves for a period of 12 months. A total of 40,000 families will be given either seeds to grow staple crops, nutrient rich vegetables or hooks and lines to catch fish for themselves and others, according to the DFID. The aid will contribute to an appeal from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for 47 million pounds to assist around 2.3 million people in need of support, the DFID said. South Sudan has rich oil deposits and significant potential in agriculture, forestry, fishery and animal husbandry. However, due to long-time armed conflict, South Sudan is one of the poorest regions in Africa, backward in infrastructure, public services and education.