One of the central goals of every developing country is to reach high-income status and Agriculture plays a critical role in transforming economies to reach the goal, along with achieving other essential development goals like ensuring food security and improving nutrition.
Therefore, in order to end hunger and undernutrition while accelerating economic growth, agricultural transformation must become a reality.
Liberia as developing country primary goal to improving the agriculture sector is center around the country productivity, and getting more into making their own food for meal and commercialization, because 60 percent of Liberia’s population primary source of livelihood depends on the Agriculture sector.
With many households or farmers engaging in cassava, rubber, rice, oil palm, cocoa, or sugarcane production as source for livelihood .
In that case at day- two of the fourth national cabinets retreats under the incumbency of President George Manneh Weah, under the theme: “pushing forward for a better Liberia” held at the Peace Empire Hall in Gompa- Ganta City, Agriculture Minister Madam Jeanine Milly Cooper has highlighted Commercialization of the Liberian Agriculture Sector as key achievement to the transformation of the country Agriculture sector.
She said despite the challenge of access to finance, the Ministry of Agriculture has expanded cultivation of crops and livestock from smallholdings and commercilizing the Agriculture Sector as big boost to the Agriculture Sector.
Madam Cooper emphasized on the exportation of cash crops as primary commodities, but the Ministry of Agriculture needed to industrialized and add value to said transformation.
She boosted of the Nimba Rubber Company, exporting process rubber from Liberia, which is under the canopy of the Nimba Rubber Company, the construction of a rubber processing plant in Margibi County by GT which will see the manufacturing of rubber tires in Liberia in the next few years as well as Firestone Liberia opening what she described as one of ‘West Africa’s largest Ribbed smoked sheets plant’ in Liberia this year as some key achievements under the Ministry of Agriculture.
Eggs production in Liberia
Presenting her Ministry’s progress reports and plans for the Government, Min. Cooper further added that with the support of the primary egg importing company -UIC from Bomi, 100% of the eggs Liberians eat will at the end of 2022 come from Liberia while by early August , 27,000 layers will be flying in from the Netherlands.
“We have also set up a field mill at the Free Port of Monrovia to provide poultry and livestock fields to Liberian farmers in order for them to in subsequent time supply the rest of the Country with eggs and chickens “, she added.
The pinpointed out that Liberia now has the largest Palm mill in the sub-region, located in Maryland County, Golden Sifca, who has invested rooftly about 34m, 80tons of Palm oil per hour and the largest in the sub region.
Moreover, she further emphasized that J-Palm , producing fresh Liberian honey and are expanding across the Country.
Low production of country’s stable food
However, mass productivity of Liberia stable food Rice and Casava, remain among others the lowest accordint to the presentation of Minister Cooper .
A special committee headed by the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and Co- Chair by the Agriculture Ministry including Commerce and States as members will have a special meeting to decide how to begin the distribution of the funds/ resources soon for the betterment of the society.
The agriculture sector is key as it is also a strategic pillar under the government’s development envelope, The Pro Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD) and if duty bearers can effectively maximize the potential of the strategic sector of the Country the people will immensely benefit through empowerment, job creation and lasting development respectively.
