The Azande Kingdom, under the leadership of His Royal Majesty King Atoroba Peni Rikito Gbudue, launched a large-scale agricultural initiative to plant 35,000 oil palm trees at the Royal Palace in Bazungua, Western Equatoria State, on Saturday.
The initiative aims to promote agriculture, create employment opportunities for young people, reduce poverty, and boost palm oil production and value addition across the kingdom and surrounding communities.
The oil from the trees is expected to support the production of a wide range of goods, including cooking oil, soap, margarine, cosmetics, shampoo, toothpaste, candles, processed foods such as biscuits and bread, animal feed, industrial lubricants, and biofuel.
Speaking during the launch, the King said the project is intended to encourage every household within the kingdom to actively participate in farming and tree planting as a sustainable source of livelihood. He described agriculture as the backbone of the community economy and urged residents, especially young people, to embrace farming as a pathway to development and self-reliance.
Tadeo Mario Sasa, the kingdom’s prime minister, also attended the launch and reaffirmed the kingdom’s commitment to supporting agricultural expansion, saying the initiative will strengthen food security and create economic opportunities for local communities.
For his part, Madabayo Friday, a youth representative, welcomed the initiative, saying young people have already joined the king in supporting the plantation drive.
“We have joined the King in launching the palm oil project as youth,” he said. “We are committed to planting more trees across the kingdom in support of agriculture and development.”
The project is expected to be implemented in phases, with local communities encouraged to expand palm oil plantations across Western Equatoria State.
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