By William Selmah – wselmah@gmail.com
The Japanese Government in collaboration with the FAO and the Government of Liberia has launched an integrated rice development project in the country.
Under the project, which was launched on Wednesday, Japan will help some 1,000 smallholder farmers to enhance their production and income generation capacities, according to FAO Country Representative Madam Mariatou Njie.
She said “the country imports about 90% of its rice needs at the cost of about US$ 18m a year”, saying that in 2018 alone, rice represented 37.8% of the total import of food and live animals”.
With a current population growth rate of 2.5% per annum, she pointed out that the country is experiencing a corresponding increase in demand for rice.
This increase, coupled with “low production and productivity, has led to deficits with huge variance in local production”, Njie said at the launch of the integrated rice development project in Gardnersville, near Monrovia.
She also added that Liberia’s rice development sector is not at its full strength and that it is faced with some challenges.
According to Njie, productivity remains low in the country despite its favorable agro ecological climate.
Also speaking at the launch of the project was Agriculture Minister Dr. Mogana S. Flomo, Jr., who urged Liberians to invest in the soil and make the country self sufficient in food production.
Two of the top most priorities of government, he said, are the economy and food security; further challenging Liberians to venture into agricultural activities in order to enhance self sufficiency and reduce dependency on food imports.
He reiterated government’s commitment to producing 40,000 tons of rice this year alone, upon President Weah’s mandate.
“Agriculture will help change our economy, support the common people; the poor people”, he said, adding that one of the easiest ways to provide jobs is through agriculture.
In remarks, Japanese amb to Liberia Tsutomu Himeno said his government is committed to improving rice production in Liberia.
He said Japan, like Liberia, has rice as its staple and that whenever they hear about rice project, they rise to help.
“Rice production is one area Japan will help the government and people of Liberia, Amb. Himeno assured.
Liberia remains among the world’s food insecure countries of the world, sitting at 108 on the global hunger index.
Additionally, the FAO has warned that climate change poses a serious challenge to r emegw country’s development priorities including agriculture. It outlined some of the major risks climate change poses to the agriculture sector as “seasonal changes of rainfall pattern and an increase in rainfall during critical moments in the growing season, leading to reduced crop yields.”