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Sierra Leone: Govt Poised to Minimize Rice Importation
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Concord Times (Freetown)
28 March 2008
Posted to the web 28 March 2008
Ibrahim Tarawallie
Freetown
Minister of agriculture, forestry and food security Thursday disclosed that his government would stop the importation of rice into to the country once production was sufficient to meet the demands of the country.
Speaking to journalists at the ministry of information and communication conference room, Dr. Sam Sesay said that Sierra Leone has the potential of producing its own rice.
He said his ministry has set up a programme for the production of rice in the country, but stressed that discussions are still ongoing.
There is no specific date on which to stop the importation of rice because we need to locate key strategic areas were rice can be produced in Sierra Leone , he said.
Dr. Sesay said agriculture is the prime mover of development, adding that he is determined to make it the engine of socio-economic growth.
Agriculture should be broad to improve the economy of the country," he said.
A farmer, Ibrahim Kamara, said he welcomes the initiative but added that if we are to produce rice for ourselves, we must have the required equipments.
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He said the government can not talk about stopping the importation of rice without finding strategic areas in the country were the rice can be produced.
Great as it sounds, the minister's position on rice self-sufficiency may not be an unfamilar call to anyone who has been paying attention to the food crisis in Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone has a history of rice surpluses; that is a widely known fact. If a history of rice self-sufficiency is not enough, then the countless feasibility studies and survey reports produced by government and other interested parties over the past ten years amounting to thousands of pages in text should not only be enough to assure all Sierra Leoneans that this is an attainable prospect, but could also serve... [Read Full Text]
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