Khartoum-  Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) received at FAO premises in Khartoum, Sudan the Turkish Technical Delegation who were in Sudan to explore possible areas of mutual interests between the two countries in the field of agriculture. The Turkish delegation was accompanied by senior government officials from the Sudanese Ministry of Animal Resources. The visit came in the context of facilitating the cooperation between the Ministry of Animal Resources in Sudan and the Ministry of Agriculture in Turkey.

FAO was approached to facilitate the establishment of cooperation between the two entities through the exchange of expertise, skills and technicians. Sudan veterinary services has faced challenges during the last few years, especially in the field of vaccine production and control of cross-border animal diseases.

FAOR Babagana Ahmadu, enlightened the delegation around the potentials that exist in Sudan in the fields of agriculture and livestock and the roles played by FAO in supporting these sectors, looking into the possibility of developing and promoting both sectors.

”Sudan is potentially rich in many respects, the country has  abundant natural resources such as fertile land and abundant water from multiple sources, livestock, Sudan produces Sesame and Gum Arabic, there are many opportunities for constructive engagements development partners in Sudan “, said Ahmadu.

It is worth mentioning, that the infrastructure of the human resources base and veterinary services in Sudan needs to be strengthened through strong partnership with the veterinary services of Turkey, which has remarkable capabilities.

The spokesman for the Turkish delegation Mohammed Ali, expressed his gratitude to FAOR for the warm reception.

“We are looking forward to strengthening the partnership between the Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and the Sudanese Ministry of Animal Resources. We depend a lot on the role FAO will play in achieving and nurturing the partnership until it is achieved on the ground,” said Ali.

At the end of the visit, the delegation hoped to convert what was discussed to concrete actions on the ground as soon as possible, especially since some measures have been identified for immediate implementation in this regard.

Ahmadu also expressed the hope that there would be a framework for cooperation between the two partners in the near future. He also expressed his confidence and commitment to ensure that this request for technical support from FAO is met, especially that FAO has great deal of experience in establishment of effective partnerships with the member countries.