MONROVIA, Sept. 9 (LINA) – As food productivity remains Liberia’s top priority, the Ministry of Agriculture will Friday, September 10, begin to rollout cash grant to agro businesses and farmer groups in the country.
According to Agriculture Minister Jennie Cooper, the grant will be distributed at the ministry and beneficiaries are the Liberian Agric Business Cooperative (LABC) and farmer groups to increase their output.
She said that the grant will ensure that many of Liberian produce that are on the market will continue to improve, not only in terms of quality but to create high possibility of linking them to international standards and markets.
Speaking at the MICAT regular press conference on Thursday, Min. Cooper explained that the MOA is also engaged with large Agriculture concessions in rubber and palm oil to support small-owner Liberian farms and increase their production and productivity to enable them meet with the national goal.
« We begin the distribution of 5,000 of cocoa seeds in Nimba and Lofa counties to cocoa farmers to revitalize and to replace unproductive cocoa trees, » the Minister stated.
She asserted that almost 250 farming groups have been empowered to set up community nurseries as part of the ongoing distribution of improved cocoa seed, stating that similar work is being carried out in Grand Gedeh and River Gee counties.
« The sector has been making a lot of strides, we empowered our people by providing tools for them, and we give them machines to aid and increase production, » she narrated.
Minister Cooper emphasized that two days ago the ministry made a donation of two machines so as to respond to the call of President George Weah to mechanize the agriculture sector, adding that the machines will be used for cassava, rice and vegetables production, to include processing equipment, dryer for cassava, among others.
She also said in June of this year, the ministry signed the total of US$72 million project to be executed over the next five years, especially in food crop value chain, infrastructure development through the building of roads and increase resilience on climate change.
« For the infrastructure, the new project includes the 40km of road from Tappita to Totota corridor and potion of the Ganta to Tappita highway will extend to the pavement that the government is doing, » Minister Cooper said.
She pointed out that the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has three new projects, one with the African Development Bank (AfDB), the World Bank(WB) and the International Fund for Agriculture Development(IFAD).
