By Elbie Sebleh
MONROVIA: Liberia’s Agriculture Ministry, headed by Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah has taken giant step in lower Bong County and several other counties to boost locally produce rice, strengthen food security and address, mitigate the importation of foreign rice on the Liberian market.
Dr. Nuetah, on Saturday, November 2, 2024, visited lower Bong County, particularly Bong Mines and officially launched the harvest of 100 acres of lowland rice, an incredible achievement by one of its partners, the Makona Agriculture and Development Corporation (MADECO), led by a Liberian farmer, Mr. James T. Nyumah.
MADECO has an average capacity of approximately two hundred and fifteen acres of land but with 140 upland and 75 lowland with rice and others agricultural initiative.
This bumper harvest significantly increases local rice production and strengthens the nation’s food security, while demonstrating the Ministry’s unwavering commitment to advancing agriculture in Liberia as part of the “Liberians Feed Yourselves” initiative.
Following the visitation and subsequent launch of the lowlands rice, Minister Nuetah visited Fuamah Multipurpose Corporative supported by the Ministry of Agriculture to grown and produce local rice.
The Ministry of Agriculture establishment of a large-scale lowland rice production site, covering about 900 hectares but with the average capacity of two thousand four hundred hectares.
The Minister visitation also concluded with a visit to other farms in Margibi County.
The visits were meant to inspire all farmers to expand production and encourage every Liberian to contribute toward a secure food future and also track the progress and future of those initiatives in the county.
Meanwhile, addressing the press at the Fuamah Multipurpose Corporative in Bong County, Agriculture Minister, Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah, extolled the farmer for the level of progress, while urging all hands-on desk to address food insecurity.
” Today, we are visiting here in lower Bong County. We have come here earlier this year to see what we can do here. The average capacity here at the Fuamah should be around Two Thousand Four Hundred hectares but, this year we have invested in the development of nine hundred hectares. Currently, we have rice production ongoing and so, we have just come to see how the project and progress is ongoing “he added.
Minister Nuetah described rice as primary commodity of the Liberia people, jokingly adding that Liberians eat so much rice but don’t grown so much rice.
“We are importing about 70% of the rice we eat. So, we tried to encourage our Liberian farmer to get in involved with rice production because it’s the Vision of President Joseph N. Boakai. The President has said that Liberian should feed themselves and when the President give us that mandate, the first place we seek to execute that was here to set the example of what we want farming, especially rice farming to be like” he stated.
According to him, there are plans to utilize the entire lands that they have visited but they have two major plans now that they are working on.
He outlined the search of a potential investor and capacity strengthening as the vision for the sector area.
“We are looking for an investor that will take over the entire two thousand four hundred hectares and fully develop it in collaboration with the small holder farmer. If they have in place the proper aggravation facility, they will grown two to three times a year here, however, because they don’t have they have to grown once a year. Also, we have plan to have one thousand hectares next cultivated next year,” Minister Nuetah added.
Speaking separately, Makona Agriculture and Development Corporation (MADECO), led by a Liberian farmer, Mr. James T. Nyumah and Fuamah Multipurpose Corporative Chairman of the Workers Mr. Prince D. Peters expressed gratitude to the Minister and team for the visitation.
” We want to thank the Minister and team for the visitation. This visitation has inspired us to do more in growing our local rice. We are ready and prepare to work with the Minister in achieving the president mandate. Also, we want to thank the government through the Ministry of Agriculture for the support given to us, to admit, this has given us some sense of belonging and make us feel a part of the developmental drive and governance of our country” he concluded.
