Gbarnga, Bong County – President George Mannah Weah is encouraging all farmer organizations in the country to adopt the business approach to agriculture through, among others, organizing farmers around ‘cooperative’, which he said could contribute sustainably towards agriculture commercialization.
The Liberian leader said this Friday when he officially launched the National Agriculture Trade Fair at the compound of the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI).
President Weah said the government, in collaboration with the World Bank, has made available sixty million United States dollars in funding the private sector farming in Liberia, which includes large skills and smallholders farming.
President Weah also disclosed that he would set up a technical committee comprising of the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Justice and other agencies to work along with banks to insure qualifications, allocations and disbursement of funds to agriculture institutions.
“Government is fully aware to improving the agriculture sector’s performance for increased food and income security with a few of achieving overall economic growth and reducing poverty in the country.”
President George Manneh Weah
President Weah said his government is making all efforts to enable the country to graduate from primary industry. “Success of these depends on the performance of all stakeholders in the agriculture sector,” said President Weah.
The theme of this year’s Trade Fair is “Invest in Agriculture for Prosperity and Development”, which President Weah said, was relevant to the commercialization drive by his government and private sector growth and development.
“Government is fully aware to improving the agriculture sector’s performance for increased food and income security with a few of achieving overall economic growth and reducing poverty in the country”, he stressed.
President Weah also urged development partners to support technological development, infrastructure and value addition for enterprises with potential for growth like fisheries and livestock rather than concentrating on the software support and traditional enterprises.
After taking a tour of the pavilions at the fair, President Weah said he was impressed with the quality of exhibits and congratulated exhibitors “for job well done”.
“I expect improvement every year because I’m very sure that the quality of products exhibited here has direct impact on business, which are clinched at Fairs like this one. I challenged all exhibitors that next time, we should should see different innovative ideas, services and products.
Other speakers at the event were Agriculture Minister Jeanine Cooper, Dr George Vorkpor, Deputy Minister for Research and Extension, Ministry of Agriculture and European Union’s Ambassador to Liberia Laurent Delahousse.