-To boost food security in Liberia
BY: Shallon S. Gonlor
KARNPLAY, NIMBA CO. — In a bid to boost rice production in Liberia, a group of women named ‘Gbehlay-Geh Rural Women Multipurpose Cooperative’ has began a large-scale rice production to enhance food security in Liberia.
In Karnplay City, Nimba County Electoral District#3, the women backed village saving loan association involved in local rice productivity in the country by reducing Liberia’s dependency on rice imports to improve food security. Rice is the staple food for about half of Liberia’s population, and it is a critical source of energy, protein, vitamins and minerals.
Like many African countries, Liberia has long struggled with food insecurity and relied heavily on external assistance to meet its food needs. The country’s reliance on rice imports has been a longstanding challenge, as evidenced by the 70% importation of its staple food, rice. In Liberia, the demand for rice exceeds local production capacity which Liberia imports approximately 85 percent of its annual consumption of 150,000 metric tons (mt).
Speaking to our correspondent Sunday in Karnplay, the women’s head, Annie W. Kruah said the cooperative is a congulmoration of women farmers, mostly single mothers struggling to reduce poverty and produce the country own locally made staple food rice. Ma. Annie further noted that as smallholder farmers cooperative, reducing dependence on rice imports in Liberia remains their key objective, stressing that rice import is one of Liberia’s primary development challenges.
She said about nine years ago, they have grappled to produce and improve the country’s local rice with an attractive value to be compared to none in the global world. She noted that the Gbehlay-Geh Rural Women Multipurpose Cooperative comprised of 60 different women groups with a sense of commitment to end hunger in Liberia and restore the country’s economy.
Rice is an essential part of Liberian diets where over 70 percent of Liberians rely on it to meet their daily caloric needs. Ma. Annie W. Kruah however appealed to the Government of Liberia to shift their focus from temporary aid, such as rice importation, to long-term support to boost rice production in the country. With this support, she said is not just crucial but a pressing necessity in realizing Liberia’s ambitious fight to achieve the country ‘National Agriculture Development Plan’, a beacon of hope that aims to strengthen and invest in local agriculture sector, achieve self-sufficiency in food production, and, most importantly, cut down the nation’s dependence on the importation of rice, a critical commodity.
At the same time, the Business Manager of Gbehlay-Geh Rural Women Multipurpose Cooperative, Mr. Joseph B. Kruah said they started effect production since 14 July, 2014. Mr. Kruah said upon obtaining BSc degree in General Agriculture from state-run University of Liberia, he made a u-turn to come home with vast knowledge to help improve production and increase food security in Liberia, engaging women who the proper education and technical support.
In a significant push towards agricultural independence, Kruah stated that he began building collaboration with women farmers, empowered them through village saving loan association program to process and give huge yielding to more local rice productivity. Rice production in Liberia, historically and to date, has falls far short of the amount of rice the country consumes. He stated that each bagging of 25kg is also sold in the local market parallel to similar price offered on the imported rice. He added further that due to the rice-value, about twenty bags per day can be sold, and six metric tonnes per an hour production respectively.
According to him, rice remains the staple food crop and a key source of income for smallholder farmers in Liberia, stating that rice production is often constrained by a number of factors, including poor infrastructure, low technology levels, limited access to financial services, poor seeds, lack of irrigation, and pests and diseases. The University of Liberia 2016-2017 agriculturalist called on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. administration to support his cooperative with the donation of milled machines, stressing that the lack of mechanization limits huge productivity.
Mr. Joseph G. Kruah further said that the country’s reliance on rice imports has been a longstanding challenge. The Gbehlay-Geh Rural Women Multipurpose Cooperative Business Manager emphasized the importance of Liberia transitioning from short-term aid initiatives to sustainable interventions that empower Liberia to enhance its agricultural capabilities. He called for collaborative efforts, stressing that it is through the support and help of those single women’s ideas they are producing.
“We would be happy if the Liberia government and partners would focus on supporting smallholder farmers, particularly ‘Gbehlay-Geh Rural Women Multipurpose Cooperative’ to invest in the infrastructure that supports rice production and feed Liberia at a larger scale. This would involve linking them with commercialization facilities like processing mills and developing marketing strategies to help put rice on the market for consumption. We would also appreciate having improved technology that would lead to improve yields of our local varieties, thereby increasing farmers’ output”.
Mr. Kruah appeal underscores the potential benefits of fostering self-reliance and sustainability in rice production. He noted that Liberia’s self-sufficiency in rice production can ensure food security and economic growth, create employment opportunities, and alleviate poverty. By adopting a long-term perspective and investing in initiatives that promote self-sufficiency, Mr. Kruah wants the government and partners to contribute to a more resilient and prosperous future for the country through agriculture productivity.
Additionally, government can pursue specific interventions that include:Providing subsidies to farmers to encourage rice production – to encourage farmers to produce more rice, the government can provide subsidies. However, this is not the only way that the government can encourage rice production. The government can also provide tax breaks, or other incentives, to farmers who produce rice. Additionally, the government can purchase rice from farmers at a guaranteed price.
Creating a rice production quota system to ensure that there is enough rice – to ensure that there is enough rice available for the population, the government can create a rice production quota system. This would help to regulate the amount of rice that is produced and would ensure that everyone has enough food. This will also help to keep prices stable and allow people to purchase the food they need, which is good for both the consumers and the producers.
Building storage facilities to store rice – storage facilities can be a great way to store rice. The government can build them to store a large amount of rice in a safe and organized way. This would help to prevent food shortages and make it easier for people to get the food they need.
Providing loans to farmers to help them with the costs of rice production – the government can provide loans to farmers to help them with the costs of rice production. The farmers can use the loans to buy the seeds, fertilizer, and equipment necessary for production. The government can also provide subsidies for farmers to help them with the cost of production. The subsidies can be used to offset the cost of production, or to help the farmers purchase the necessary inputs for production.
Educating farmers on the best practices for rice production – the government should educate farmers on the best practices for rice production. Doing so would increase crop yields and improve the quality of the rice. The government could also provide subsidies for farmers who use these best practices. This would encourage more farmers to adopt these practices, foster value addition and seek market access.
