As the Liberian Government strives to improve domestic rice production, the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), under its World Bank and International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) projects, has supported a significant lowland rice production project in Fuanah District, Lower Bong County.
The support represents the Government’s continuous support of smallholder farmers, who struggle to improve their incomes to support their families.
On Saturday, December 20, 2024, the Ministry launched the project’s harvest at a program attended by lawmakers, including Bong County Senator Prince Moye and Bong County District 5 representative Foday E. Fahnbulle. Agriculture Minister Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah and other agricultural sector stakeholders attended the event.
The lowland rice project covers over 900 hectares and is owned by the Fuamah District Multipurpose Cooperative Society in Bong Mines,
The project aims to ensure a main income source for 918 farm families who are cooperative members with support from the Ministry’s funded projects, the Rural Economic Transformation Project (RETRAP) and the Smallholder Transformation Agribusiness Revitalization Project (STAP).
Both projects seek to increase the productivity and market competitiveness of the critical agricultural value chains by ensuring access to finance and promoting farm mechanization.
In remarks at the occasion, Agriculture Minister Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah reiterated the Liberian Government’s unwavering commitment to agriculture, stating that the Government will do all it can to create the enabling environment to make the country’s farmers grow more rice to reduce rice importation.
“Rice importation has become a serious burden on the government, so supporting farmers in growing more rice for the country will solve many of our problems,” he said.
The Minister emphasized that before the end of the tenure of the Boakai Kong administration, the country should have been able to reduce rice imports.
The Fuamah District Cooperative rice project is one of the several projects the Ministry is currently partnering with to scale rice production within the next few years.
The Minister is optimistic that the support provided to the farmers will ensure sustainable income opportunities for them.
He promised to immediately construct a temporary warehouse to store the harvest to reduce post-harvest losses.
The Minister further disclosed that a plan is underway to construct a processing center and install an irrigation system to enable the farmers to grow rice throughout the year.
“We are working with the WFP to construct a warehouse to temporarily store the rice that will be later bought from you to process and to put it on the local market,” the Minister assures the farmers.
However, he encouraged the farmers not to rely on the support of the Ministry but see a reason to work harder to reinvest in the project.
Bong County Senator Prince Moye, who launched the harvest, said that he was impressed with the level of work done and promised to work with his colleagues to ensure that the budget for agriculture is increased.
“I pledged my fullest support to work with my colleagues to ensure a better appropriation for agriculture in the National budget,” Senator Moye stated.
He praised the Minister for the support provided to the farmers, describing the effort as unprecedented.
Bong County District 5 Representative Foday Fahnbulleh thanked the Ministry for supporting farmers in his district and promised to work with the Ministry to mobilize the farmers for agriculture ventures.
By Judoemue M. Kollie
