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 (17th-18th
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.
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