PHOTO: Agriculture Minister Jeanine Cooper
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
The Ministry of Agriculture has announced the holding of a National Agricultural Fair from February 12-14, 2021 at the Central Agriculture Research Institute (CARI) in Suakoko, Bong County, Liberia after 12 years of dormancy.
The Agriculture Ministry is planning and executing the Fair in collaboration with the Ministries of Internal Affairs, State for Presidential Affairs, Gender, Children and Social Protection along with the Cooperative Development Agency.
Agriculture Minister Jeanine Cooper has named Deputy Agriculture Minister for Administration, Precious Tetteh to lead the coordination and planning of the Fair.
“Investing in Agriculture for Prosperity & Development” is the theme for this year’s Fair as agricultural development is an essential component in current five-year Liberia’s national development agenda, the Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development (PAPD).
President George M. Weah, places enormous importance on driving Liberia’s agriculture sector as a major engine of growth and he will interact with farmers and stakeholders at the Fair to work out means of moving the sector forward.
“Taking Stock of What We Have”, is one of the goals of Minister Jeanine Cooper to transform the agriculture sector, since she was appointed as Minister of Agriculture a year ago.
The Fair will be an excellent forum to assess the food and tree crops grown in Liberia; there will be competition among counties on their locally grown products and prizes awarded.
Additionally, Liberian agribusinesses will also showcase their plant-based products –food, drinks and cosmetics –locally produced and are being exported.
Farmers, agro-processors, agriculture concessionaires, development partners, financial institutions and agro value chain producers will also attend the fair.
Entirely planned and executed by United Nations agencies and international partners, the last Fair was held in 2008 in the Tubmanburg, Bomi County, 70 km west of the Liberian capital, Monrovia.
Liberia’s Agriculture Law, enacted in the 1970s, mandates the Ministry of Agriculture to hold an annual National Agricultural Fair to showcase agriculture produce grown in the country.