agricultural-ministers

"Our political parties are not creating enough forums for women to understand who they are. I am trying to say women are watching every political party in South Sudan."

"We need to provide leadership; this is number one, and also participating fully and taking care of our own interests. It is not just about our presence, but there are training opportunities in customs, trade, finance and banking system, and so forth."

"If we train our people and take this seriously, it will save South Sudan money because you will not spend money again to train people because you will use the money paid as membership fees."

"The support we have has to go through the national parliament; those are constituencies of the national parliament. Whatever program we get, we have to work with the national parliament."

"In my mind, as a child at that time, the only way to escape poverty was to go to school. It was at that time that I decided to commit myself to school."

"Women are very cautious in politics, so the parties must do a lot to attract more women to their membership. So what I want to start in my program is to introduce to women how political parties work and what types of political parties they can join. We need to change how political parties behave because some parties do not encourage women who want to progress in politics."

"Being a female politician in a highly patriarchal society such as South Sudan is never easy. But more and more women are breaking down the gender-related barriers that held their predecessors back."

"Our women in the rural areas will be engaged by the national parliament in Juba because we cannot work directly with them because we are a regional parliament."

"I think the situation is fluid and would only get worse if not arrested in time"

"From the information I’m gathering from so many corners, many people don’t want the constitution to be amended to lift the age limit but at the same time I think Mr Museveni,who is the cheif beneficiary of this project wants the age limit lifted"

"We shall mobilize the electorate to recall any councilor who brings confusion in the district of consel"

"Today, the climate has changed a lot, and we can no longer depend on agriculture for a better future. It’s interesting to see rest of the world investing in other sectors like services and industrialization while Uganda remains glued on agriculture for economic transformation"

"The incumbent district woman MP, placed announcements on the radio stations calling for voters to turn up for the postponed elections in large numbers. She promised them meals and a transport refund for their effort."

"We needed child care facilities to be able to keep our children while we were at work. Otherwise most of us would never have had the opportunity of going to school, taking part in the process of running ANC offices or being part of the military structures."

"It was very important and we are appreciative of that experience. We also did a lot of work around women’s programmes."

"I was editor of the ANC women’s journal, Voice of Women, for some time and I remember that our publication was funded at some stage by SIDA. It enabled us to produce and distribute the bulletin, both internationally and internally through our underground structures."

". It was an introduction on how to take care of an infant when you do not have all the resources. I know, because immediately after that I benefited from the same experience when my daughter was born with lots of allergies. I had to get the knowledge from people who had gone through that course."

"Their responsibility was to take care of the children's needs with clothes. On the medical and nutrition levels, I remember that a course was put together which was tailored for those who were going to take care of our children."

"At times it also assisted us to cater for casualties, such as unplanned pregnancies, where a young mother still wanted to pursue her schooling"

". I did a lot of work on culture and women’s issues when I was still in Lusaka, trying to establish what support we could get from the Nordic countries. We had clothes collected for cadres in the residences of ANC all across Africa. Some of the clothes also went to the soldiers in the camps. We were maintained in that way."

"Sometimes support to farmers is not only financial but also about enabling them through the information that will position them better in accessing markets, and what they need to do in terms of the compliance issues that they have to address."

"On our side, assisting farmers with inputs so that on a small-scale level they can produce for their household is one of the bedrocks that support food security."

"Challenges I faced, on one hand, have been to try and continue with the work that has been done in the past, to resolve some of those where some of the projects were not complete, and complete them. Even though some of them are still outstanding because of the complexities that are there."

"The grants that social development gives for social relief, as well as the normal grants given to the elderly and the children and disabled are interventions as part of the social security net so that people do not go hungry."

"Food security is achieved through the capacity to produce and, at the same time, it’s the purchasing power to be able to acquire that food."

"Another challenge is how to position agriculture to adapt quickly in addressing issues of climate change. It is not just about El Niño or La Niña when there are rains or floods. It’s also about new pests and diseases that are emerging and that is a challenge we are working on."

"I had to make sure that the cabinet approved farmer support policy so that it guides the entirety of the sector and provinces."

"Perhaps the only surprise to come out of Pawar's deposition was that he reinforced, though inadvertently, the belief that politicians cannot always be trusted to tell the truth in times of crisis. Pawar told the commission that, following the serial bomb blasts which shattered the city's fragile peace in March 1993, he deliberately lied to the public. He said that in a bid to avert another round of Hindu-Muslim rioting, he had dubbed the blasts as the handiwork of the LTTE. The morality of the statement can be debated endlessly, but the fact remains that he misled the public."

"The blasts, which left 357 people dead and 717 others injured, actually occurred at only 11 places. However, then chief minister Sharad Pawar told the nation that the blasts had occurred at 12 places. This admission came on Sunday from Pawar himself. He said he deliberately lied that the blasts had occurred at 12 places. He was speaking during the 89th edition of the All India Marathi Literary Meet at Dnyanaba-Tukaram Nagari (Hindustan Antibiotics Ground), Pimpri, 15 km from Pune. Pawar said that he did so in the larger interest of the public, and, for that lie, he was even praised by the Justice Srikrishna Commission. He then described the sequence of events. On March 12, 1993, he came to learn from officials that all the 11 blasts had occurred in Hindu-dominated areas. Since it was Pakistan’s plan to foment communal violence, the then chief minister immediately rushed to the Doordarshan studios and announced that blasts had occurred at 12 places in what was then Bombay. The 12th place where Pawar ‘exploded’ the bomb was Masjid Bunder. After this announcement, Hindus and Muslims thought that the blasts were not targeted at any particular community and the government was able to restore normal life fast, Pawar said. In fact, after the serial blasts on Friday, Bombay returned to normalcy on Monday itself, he said. 77“When you are running a state or when you are part of the administration, you are required to lie at times for the larger public interest,” Pawar said. 77When the Justice Srikrishna Commission asked him about the Masjid Bandar blast, Pawar explained the circumstances.The commission even lauded him for the same, he said. That’s one bomb that saved so many lives."

"This appears to be a pattern: whenever Muslim riots or bomb attacks target Hindus, it is thought acceptable to accuse the victims, in order to avoid possible revolts. Thus in 1993 in Mumbai, after eleven coordinated bomb blasts in Hindu majority areas, which killed 257 people and injured 713, the then Maharashtra Chief Minister Sharad Pawar quickly cooked up a twelfth explosion ... in a Muslim area! “I have deliberately misled people,” he explained later, to show that both communities had been affected.” And to portray both communities’ potential to behave as “terrorists”. Truth and clarity of mind are the casualties."

"He further said, “A Hindu is a Hindu only in Hindu-Muslim riots. On 15th August and 26th January, he becomes an Indian. Otherwise, he becomes Marathi, Gujarati, etc. When you go into the states Hindus get divided into castes. And in Maharashtra, this politics of dividing Hindus into castes has picked up pace after Sharad Pawar formed Nationalist Congress Party in 1999. When we are going to unite as Hindus?”"

"CM Chouhan made the announcement in response to a request made by Vivek Agnihotri, filmmaker of the film ‘The Kashmir Files,’ he said, “Today Vivek Ji has given the idea to build Genocide Museum. The state government will give you all kinds of cooperation including land. I respect your sentiments.”"

"After the attack, CM Pawar announced that the blasts had occurred in 13 places, though in real, there had been 12 blasts in total that day. So, why did the chief minister lie? Pawar made a call to tell this lie after he found out that all of the 12 blasts had occurred in Hindu-dominated areas. In an attempt to keep communal violence at bay, Pawar had hurried to the Doordarshan studios and announced that blasts had occurred at 13 places in the city. The 13th place, he named, was Musjid Bunde, a Muslim-dominated locality. Later, when Pawar accepted his lie, he was praised by the Justice Srikrishna Commission."

"The Agriculture and Livestock sector is one of the most representatives in the country and has a strong weight on its economy; however, to really exploit its potential it is essential to invest."

"The business of the farmer who grew and supplied chia seeds to the company’s warehouse is understandable, and we accept it,"

"Rwanda has a huge economic potential, great opportunities, and a good business environment, and so is the Agriculture Sector."

"I am thrilled to join IFAD and amplify the global call to invest in small-scale farmers and to keep focus on making global and local food systems more sustainable, resilient and equitable for the people who work in them and feed the world."

"As per my experience, I strongly believe that agriculture can be a thriving sector and play a key role in lifting rural populations out of hunger and poverty."

"“I urge Rwanda poultry business owners to take advantage of the presence of the captains of this industry, to establish lasting business partnerships to improve your respective poultry operations … To those that wish to start engaging in various poultry value chain business, this is your time.”"

"Rwanda’s agriculture sector has shown resilience in the face of the pandemic. However, the sector will need the right push to realise its full potential."

"“Our country has made commendable progress in food security as it improved from 48 per cent in 2006 and reached to 81.3 per cent in 2018."

"“To seize the huge opportunity that food systems transformation presents, we need to invest in the hundreds of millions of small-scale farmers, who produce one third of the world’s food and up to 70% of the food in low and middle-income countries. This is the only path to a food-secure and stable future, as well as the most cost-effective by far.”"

"“In a year where close to half of the world’s population will go to polls, it is essential not to lose focus on medium-term investment.”"

"“Investing in resilience is as urgent as addressing humanitarian needs. In the long run building resilience will save more lives and improve more livelihoods, and it is a sustainable solution.”"

"“Embrace agriculture sector not because it is the backbone of our economies but, because it is its oxygen.”"

"“This programme … is meant to help farmers and livestock rearers cope with climate change … to ensure that even when adverse conditions strike, they are not completely ruined.” (In context of introducing agricultural & livestock insurance schemes)"

"“The agriculture sector is set to create employment, satisfy our food and nutrition needs by 2022, and reduce the poverty rates from 39.1% to 15% by 2024.”"

"“Every farmer should embrace irrigation; and I pledge that the government will keep doing everything possible to support all farmers in irrigation wherever feasible.”"

"“Horticulture is central in our current Government Program to fight against malnutrition and hidden hunger as it’s an important source for vitamins and micro-nutrients. Furthermore, the horticulture sub sector is one of the fastest growing among the contributors to Agriculture GDP.”"

"“We have ambitious plans to keep growing the productivity of our lands to make sure that we can feed ourselves but also working hard so that whatever we’ve harvested doesn’t get lost.”"