Monrovia – Cocoa farmers in three of Liberia’s 15 counties will shortly benefit from a three-week training workshop aimed at improving and building their capacity.
According to a press release signed the Country Representative of Solidaridad, MacArthur Pay-Bayee, the workshop intends to provide additional knowledge on cocoa production for local farmers in Bong, Nimba and Lofa Counties.
“Through the training, Solidaridad seeks to provide insights on good cocoa production practices for proper transfer of know-how to 51 farmers field school communities across Bong, Nimba and Lofa counties,” the release said.
It added that Solidaridad, under the Liberia Cocoa Sector Improvement Program (LICSIP), aims to revamp the sector through a collective effort from the government of Liberia and private institutions.
The press release further states that the program is geared towards the promotion of access to large cocoa production and general extension services that will build centers in cocoa producing counties for the growth of the cash product in the country.
“LICSIP seeks to revitalize the Liberian cocoa sector by creating a vibrant, competitive and profitable cocoa economy driven by farmer group or associations and private sector supply actors, with in a robust national regulatory and institutional framework.
“The core implementation strategy of the program is to promote farmers’ access to a bouquet of production support service that leads to farm intensification, rehabilitation of moribund farms, new plantings on fallow lands and the general extension services through the set up and operation of centers for cocoa development,” the release said.
At the end of the workshop several cocoa farmers from across the three counties would carry on additional training in agricultural and mini-business services, the release added.
“Two hundred cocoa farmer field schools will be organized during the life time of the program to dispense training in good agricultural practices and agri-business skills.”
The project, implemented by the Liberia country office of Solidaridad West Africa (SWA), will ensure that SWA leverages its years of experience in the cocoa sector to support the revitalization of Liberia’s sector.
Solidaridad is a global network organization with operation in 52 countries across five continents with expertise in 13 commodity supply chains.
Report by Jackson F. [email protected]/0770195412/0888132331
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