PHOTO: Min. Jeanine Cooper
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.com
The Liberian government through the Ministry of Agriculture and the Liberia Agricultural Product Regulatory Authority has launched the road map aimed at sustaining the cocoa sector in the country.
The roadmap, funded by the European Union, Solidarity and the Sustainable Trade Initiative, will facilitate investment, cocoa marketing, sustainable production, quality control, as well as protect the environment and climatic change.
Speaking at the launching ceremony recently, Agriculture Minister, Jeanine Cooper stressed the need for collective efforts aimed at securing a certification agency that will certify cocoa products for international market.
According to her, it does not augur well for individual company to solicit certification agent from abroad because it will be costlier when such entity is operating from abroad.
She expressed the hope that the public-private partnership will be introduced in other sectors, so as to develop roadmaps that will drive and improve the sale of other products on the international market and benefit the farmers.
“The public private partnership that drove the development of this strategy is very unique and all the other strategies developed by nongovernmental organizations without the participation of the private sectors might be one of the reasons impeding the implementation of some plans in other sectors over the years,” Minister Cooper said
The Liberian Agriculture Minister congratulated the stakeholders because the road map was collectively developed and expressed happiness that the cocoa sector now has a plan that all in the sector will follow.
“This road map will guide everyone one of us in our ambitions and I can proudly say that I am a part of the sector because I have planted about 8,000 trees now thus far,” Minister Cooper added.
She indicated that the road map will provide economic opportunity to all Liberians and it will also develop other sector in agriculture.
In remarks, the Director General of the Liberia Agricultural Product Regulatory Authority, Dr. John Flomo, disclosed that the roadmap on the sustainable cocoa sector will endeavor to produce more cocoa, improve quality and promote the sector in order to have valuable prices on the international market.
Dr. Flomo and a cross-section of those who attended the ceremony
According to him, cocoa. as an agricultural commodity, is very relevant for the socio economic development of Liberia
Dr. Flomo pointed out that neighboring countries such as Ghana and Ivory Coast have been largely developed by money made from cocoa.
“We are working with partners in the cocoa sector in order to provide an effective leadership and improve the lives of famers growing and exporting and this evident by the launching of the launching of the road map on sustaining it;” he told the audience.
“If we provide an effective and efficient leadership in the cocoa sector it will bring development to our country and improve the economy,” he said; adding: “judging from the progress made in Ghana and Ivory Coast, we in Liberia will make massive development as a result of investing in the cocoa sector,” Dr. Flomo added.
The ceremony marking the launch of the road map to sustain the cocoa sector was graced by representatives of the Cooperative Development Agency, the European Union, Producers Association, and the Exporters Association among others
The implementation of the road map will be undertaken by all signatories through the National Cocoa Sector Public Private Partnership and will be coordinated by its secretariat, according to Hilary David, the head of secretariat of NC3P.
The young Liberian expert indicated that steering committee will oversee the overall implementation and develop the strategic direction of the partnership
Mr. David added that there will be separate technical committees to assist the steering committee in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities on specific technical matters, which are beyond the scope or expertise.