A jurisdictional dispute over management of the Aweil Rice Scheme is intensifying again, with a top official accusing the national government of completely sidelining the state ministry by transferring essential equipment to a UN agency without any prior communication.
Garang Chan Atak, the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Environment for Northern Bahr el Ghazal, said his ministry is now ‘toothless’ after discovering that tractors designated for the state-supervised project were delivered directly to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
In an interview on Wednesday, frustrated Minister Chan described being left entirely out of the loop.
“What happened is that after the tractors arrived, they were packed into the compound of the UN FAO. There is no official document. I was waiting, maybe it’s going to be the UN FAO to call me or the National Ministry?” Chan posed.
“But after a few days, I was surprised to see the tractors had already gone to the field. They are cultivating. So now, I am confused. Is the UN FAO in charge? Or is the state Ministry of Agriculture in charge?”
Chan emphasized that while the Aweil Rice Scheme is a national project, it is meant to be supervised by the state government.
He argued that the national ministry’s decision to bypass his office undermines the cooperative relationship between the two levels of government.
The tractors in question are reportedly being used by the FAO to cultivate 2,300 fedans this year. Minister Chan opposes that, since the equipment was purchased with government funds, his ministry should have oversight.
“This is government money and they are given to the UN FAO in the form of projects, so that they will be going to deliver the subsidies to the people of northern Bahr el Ghazal state through projects. And they are government money, and I have authority over this.”
He is now publicly demanding answers from the National Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
“It is not clear to me whether is that tractors have been rented to the UN FAO or are given to them free of charge to operate their projects?” he posed.
These concerns unfold against a backdrop of previous tensions. Earlier this year, the Deputy National Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Lilly Albino Akol, accused unnamed individuals in Northern Bahr el Ghazal of encroaching on the rice scheme and privatizing its assets.
During the 2024-2025 harvest launch in Aweil, Akol stated that the national institution had lost many assets due to interference from the state.
Reacting to this allegation, Minister Chan suggested that if past mistakes are the reason for his exclusion, the decision is unfair.
He argued that he should not be penalized for the actions of a previous administration.
“You cannot blame somebody innocent who is now struggling to make a recovery,” Chan stated.
He insisted that if assets were indeed lost, the national ministry shares the blame.
