The government of Liberia boosts the lowland rice project in Bong County.
By Judoemue M. Kollie
Monrovia, Liberia, December 24, 2024 – As the Liberian government strives to improve domestic rice production, the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), under the World Bank and International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) projects, has once more 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 struggled to some extent to improve their incomes to support their families.
On Saturday, December 20, 2024, the Ministry launched the project harvest at a program attended by lawmakers, including Bong County Senator Prince Moye and Bong County District 5 Representative Foday E. Fahnbulleh. Agriculture Minister Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah and other agricultural sector stakeholders also 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 primary 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 productivity and market competitiveness of the critical agricultural value chains by ensuring access to finance and promoting farm mechanization.
Making 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 an enabling environment that will make farmers of the country grow more rice to reduce rice importation.
“Rice importation has become a serious burden on the government, so supporting farmers to grow more rice for the country will solve many of our problems,” he said.
Minister Nuetah emphasized that before the tenure of the Boakai-Koung administration, the country should have been able to reduce rice imports.
The Fuamah District Cooperative rice project is one of 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 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 assured the farmers.
However, he encouraged the farmers not to rely on the ministry’s support but to see reason to work harder to reinvest in the project.
Bong County Senator Prince Moye, who launched the harvest, said he was impressed with the level of work done, promising 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 in mobilizing the farmers for agriculture ventures.
