Press Release on Fraudulent Information Published on Social Media

Press Release:

JUBA, December 09, 2022: It has come to the attention of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) that a fraudulent announcement was published on our Facebook page, claiming that the Ministry in partnership with the international Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and Farmer Based Network is offering financial aid to all farmers, agri-businesses and business development companies in South Sudan. The post was accompanied with a photo bearing the picture of the Honorable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, the World Bank Country Manager and other dignitaries. The post further stated that individuals interested in receiving the fund should submit their applications to the link: https://rb.gy/ezg3o3, which does not possess the official logo of the Ministry. The Ministry would like to officially communicate that this information is false and misleading.

The Ministry would like to underscore the following:

1. The Ministry’s Facebook account was regrettably hacked by a group of unscrupulous people who published the misleading information that was circulated to the public. The Honorable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security and the staff at the Ministry are not in any way involved in the post made online and are therefore not responsible for the circulation of this misinformation.
2. The Ministry bears no responsibility over the consequences of the false information published and would therefore like to urge the affected people to seek legal redress from the concerned legal institutions.
3. The Ministry does not deal directly with individual farmers or farmer-based organizations except in exceptional circumstances. Our projects are usually contracted out to partner agencies including National and/or International Non-Governmental Organizations and the United Nations, who would execute these projects on behalf of the Ministry.
   
   • The Emergency Locust Response Project (ELRP) funded by the World Bank and jointly implemented by UNOPS and FAO;
   • The Resilient Agricultural Livelihoods Project (RALP) funded by the World Bank and implemented by FAO;
   • The Agricultural Markets, Value Addition and Trade Development Project (AMVAT) funded by the African Development Bank and implemented by FAO; and
   • The South Sudan Livelihood and Resilience Project (SSLRP) funded by the international Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and implemented by Vétérinaires Sans Frontières – Germany (VSF-G);
4. Lastly, the official channel of communication with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security is through the office of the Undersecretary for Agriculture and Food Security. When in doubt or in need of any information regarding the Ministry, you are advised to write to or visit the office of the Undersecretary at the Ministries Complex in Juba.

End.