Concord Times (Freetown)
Mohamed Massaquoi
10 April 2008
Freetown — President Ernest Bai Koroma Friday revealed that Sierra Leone has the cheapest price for rice per bag in the West African sub-Region, a development he said has better positioned the country than others in the region.
He said the current increase in the prices of foodstuffs in the region has called for series of demonstrations in some countries like Ivory Coast where President Laurent Gbagbo was said to have cancelled custom duties after a second day of violent protests against rising food costs.
While President Gbagbo pacified the rioting citizens that the increases in food prices were a world-wide problem, violent demonstrations against the rising cost of living have also been staged in several West African countries, including Cameroon, Burkina Faso and Senegal.
Meanwhile the President has reiterated that the increase in the prices of rice and petrol is a major concern to his government as their utmost priority is to provide quality services to the people.
Koroma said the increase is being politicized by some unscrupulous citizens at the expense of the nation and dismissed those claims as misleading and unfounded since the change is still a world-wide phenomenon.
"We have taken the energy sector to the top of our agenda, that notwithstanding, agriculture is another very important aspect we shall take into consideration. We need to improve on the agricultural sector so that we can produce enough foodstuffs and even export to other countries," he said.
He disclosed his government's plan to establish agro-based industries in the country so that agricultural products go through another process before exported out of the country.
"We have found out that most of our agricultural products left this country in a raw form, so we want to develop factories so that our products can be useful. Agriculture cannot develop without good roads, subsidies to farmers and equipment. We have decided in the near future to rehabilitate roads across the country," Koroma promised.
He said the Kenema-Koindu road reconstruction would soon start and that the entire project costs US$110 million. He added that the first phase is the Kenema-Kailahun road which will involve US$ 55 million.
Meanwhile, on Monday April 7, the World Food Programme (WFP) reiterated its appeal to the international community for urgent funds to support its operations in Haiti, the western hemisphere's poorest country, following the deaths of four people in two days of rioting over rising food prices.
"Riots in Haiti underline the additional need for lifesaving food assistance," said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran. "At this critical time, we need to stand with the people of Haiti and other countries hardest hit by rising food prices." Last month, WFP launched an extraordinary appeal to donors for an additional US$500 million to respond to dramatic increases in global food and fuel prices, which have risen an estimated 55 per cent since last June.
Haiti is the latest country to experience unrest related to soaring food and fuel prices (others include: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Egypt, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Mozambique and Senegal).
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It is very shameful to compare the price of your electorates staple food to the rest of the sub region without comparing the earning capabilities, standard of living and exchange rate of that currency in the subregion. A bag of 50 kilo rice as of today 22.04.08 is Le140,000. In British Pounds at Le5,700 is £24.56. The same 50 kilo of rice in the UK is £20.00. Who is paying more? who is earning more? And who is being exploited the most? Sierra Leone needs to stop this irresponsible attitude of finding excuses for not solving thier own problems. I… [Read Full Text]
When there a scarcity of a country's staple no excuses should be sought to justify the situation but rather solutions should be sought. We've emerged from a 10 year civil war and people expect the newly elected government to implement policies that will accelerate the alleviation of the suffering of Sierra Leoneans. Who cares about the price of rice in Bukina Fasso or Ivory Coast. Sierra Leone's staple is rice and a lack of initiatives or attempts to a definitive solution of this shortage is essential. I hope Mr. Ernest Koroma woulld exhibit a better insight into the… [Read Full Text]