Monrovia- Producers, aggravators and processers of rice and cassava value chains reached a proposed agreement as they initiated a framework’s documents to finalize on the pricing and linkage these commodities.
By Jaheim T. Tumu
During the two-day forum, the price proposal formulated by these farmers would ensure measures to assist agriculture sector on the regulations to control the selling and buying of rice and cassava.
Accordingly, a government subsidized 25kg of mechanize cassava bag would proposedly be sold for LD$600 while 50kg would be sold for LD$800.
The forum addressed challenges faced by rice and cassava producers following the success of the World Bank’s Emergency Rice Production Offensive (ERPO) Initiative. ERPO significantly boosted rice production, exceeding targets by 53%. However, this abundance has created a need to improved market access and pricing agreements for farmers.
Participants, highlighting the challenges during the stakeholders’ engagement forum which was implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, through the Rural Economic Transformation Project (RETRAP) with TRIBE as the organizer of the initiative, said majority of the famers in the rural area do not have stable pricing for the products.
Participants developed supportive policies and regulations that promote a fair, sustainable, and transparent market for rice and cassava. They called the government and partners to analyze the recommendations provided and present them to RETRAP for an onward technical meeting with farmers, producers, aggregators and processors.
“We want to analyze and look at those gaps analytically and holistically to make sure that the processors, producers or the aggregators can be able to fit and do the business with ease. But production needs to be more prioritize in term of the appropriate value.”
The president of the National Rice Federation of Liberia, Mohamed V. Kamara emphasized the push for mechanization which could reduce cost between processors and producers across the entire value chains.
Kamara further stated that the mechanization of farming would improve productivity amongst farmers and ensure the value for money. According to him, to ensure farmers compete with importers of rice and cassava, they should be provided subsidies.
Said Kamara, “From the last two days, we are getting some results and the results will resonate into actions.”
The National Cassava Sector Coordination Committee Coordinator, Joseph Morris, said to increase farming productivity, there is a need for mechanization.
According to him, mechanization of faming would enable the a stabilize price, actors need to ensure that production costs are also stabilize. He, however, called on the government and key partners to adhere and implement the action points highlighted in the recommendation.
“There is an obstacle because less than 10 percent of the land in Liberia is mechanize. The remaining 90 percent are not which is not helpful,” Morris.
He emphasized, “The factor that will synchronize prices if we can have the same way of production and processing.”
Speaking during the opening ceremony, Minister of Agriculture, Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah called for farmers to be honest and more realistic in stating their claims to owners of farm.
He, however, encouraged participants to use the forum as a tool of reflection of the success of the rice offensive initiative.
He also called on the increments of more farmers, urging them to use farmers as the mains of income generation. Dr. Nuetah promised to support farmers to produce 50,000 metric tons of rice annually within the next six years, while rice will ensuring significant rice annually to reduce importation on rice.
Said Dr. Nuetah, “The reason we encourage people to go into farming is to use it for income generation. When the farmers produce metric tons of rice there must be off takers. This forum is supposed to be driving the discussion about the off takers and the producers so that we can go about finding an amicable solution.”
He added, “I want this pricing issue to be based on facts. Agriculture is a field that is based on facts. If you develop 1,000 hectares depending on how you grow it will lead to a certain output. I am interested in the outcome of this forum. Whatever decision taken here will be needed for policy making purposes.”
The Crop Development Specialist of MOA, Moses Zolue said the contribution for farmers with planting materials and tools has ensured the country’s increment on the production of cassava.
He emphasized that with the support provided to farmers particularly in Bong, Lofa and Nimba counties respectively enabled the increase of yield to 3.6 hectares average yield.
Also speaking, World Bank Task Team Leader, Kadir Gyasi, disclosed that there was constraint identified during the pricing and market linkages visit to Lofa and Nimba counties.
Gyasi who stated that the dialogue would ensure formulation of a actions plans, praised government for its contributions to increase domestic rice production.
He emphasized “Both of the ministry’s projects supported an increase in rice yield which has shown remarkable success. This was evidenced by the recent World Bank task team’s visit in Lofa and Nimba counties during its February 2024 implementation mission.”