Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry Host 2019 Rice Conference

By: Alusine Rehme Wilson – (AR-Wilson)

Sierra Leone’s staple food is rice and for several years now its production in the country has been limited to small scale and subsistence farming across the country with only few individuals and groups engaging on commercial farming which had cost successive governments to have spent a whooping sum of 200 Billion dollars yearly to import rice from other countries. It is on this backdrop that the country’s Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has hosted the first ever Rice Conference in the Northern Region for stakeholders in the Agricultural and Forestry sector on the theme: “Getting Rice Right”.

The conference brought together various farmers, heads of ministries, agencies and departments from all districts and major towns in the Northern Region for two days (17^th-18^th December, 2019) to dialogue and contribute positively in the development process of putting together a National document on Rice for the very first time in the history of the West African Nation.

Former SLARI and Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Sama Mondeh who doubles as a chairman of the strategic eleven-man working committee for developing the Rice Policy and Strategy for Sierra Leone, chaired the Consultative Stakeholders’ conference on Rice Policy and Strategy which featured several speakers and Presentations from Rice Farmers, Paramount Chiefs, District Agricultural Officers, and Representatives from several Non-Governmental Organization with the North.

Delivering the key note address at the occasion, the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Abu Karim commended the members and organizers championing the course for the country to have its first National Rice Policy and Strategy document soonest.

He said that the President His Excellency Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio’s second flagship project is Boosting Agricultural and his quest to end rice importation is key which is why they as government are committed to support farmers, CSOs, groups, NGOs and events like these that will compliment efforts of their partners and the ministry to deliver on the promises of the President to improve on the country’s Agricultural sector which a document of this nature (National Rice Policy and Strategy) when completed will savage the numerous challenges in the production of rice and other forms of Agriculture.

He also called on all Sierra Leoneans, foreigners, donor partners, NGOs, CSOs and the media to diversely support the course for the country’s first ever business plan on rice to be established.

Speaking in an interview with this writer, the Director of Crop at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, John Samuel Kamara explained that this conference is the second of the four conferences lined up to take place in the south, North, East and Western Area respectively that will bring together stakeholders from various sectors in Agriculture to participate in the process of drafting a business plan for the country mainly on Rice hence, the need for embarking on this drive to put together the first ever National Rice Policy and Strategy for Sierra Leone.

“This document when completed will help farmers to utilize judiciously the fertile soils we have in the country to produce rice for not only their families consumption but for commercial purposes as well which will attract both local and foreign investors to embark on rice production and selling in the country that will boost up the country’s revenue generation to help stabilize its economy and make rice available and accessible for the consumption of all and sundry” Kamara assured.

He further assures the general public that this venture also aims at increasing rice production which will make way for rice exportation to compliment the President’s Human capital development plan and that the project will also suppress and win over the age long challenges Farmers have been faced with in trying to produce crops which is why the program will be very sustainable at its completion and afterwards. He craved on the indulgence of all to support this vision by coming together as a nation to actualizing and ending this course unanimously.

Edward Ojo Dickson, the Makeni Seed Multiplication center manager and Desmond Bangura the Chairman for Bombali District Farmers, on behalf of the participants and other attendees expressed felicitations to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry for bringing together Farmers, Head of Agricultural Departments and sector which will make way for them to network with other stakeholders in the Agricultural sector and to most importantly contribute meaningfully by bringing out the problems that have in one way or the other stagnated rice production and business in Sierra Leone and to make suggestions and recommendations that will salvage such problems and at the end if their recommendations are considered will help out to elevate farmers and the level of rice production and its business in the country.