Montserrado County Representative Josephine Francis has called on Liberians to invest in the soil to achieve self-sufficiency in food production. She said the Government of Liberia attaches serious attention to the agriculture sector to put Liberia in a position to be able to begin food exportation.

According to the Liberia News Agency, Representative Francis made the call recently in Paynesville, outside Monrovia, when she launched the Farmers Union Network (FUN) Radio program. She noted that over US$87 million is being spent annually by business people in the country on the importation of rice, Liberia's staple.

The Montserrado County lawmaker, who is also Chairman on the House Standing Committee on Agriculture, also stressed the need for government to support farmers with implements to boost their production, adding that if this is done, more Liberians would be encouraged to go into farming.

She is also encouraging farmers to invest in cash crops and livestock such as banana, plantains, eddoes and cassava as well as piggery, poultry, snail, among others, to boost the agriculture sector.

Representative Francis has meanwhile promised to lobby with her colleagues in the House and other partners in progress for the empowerment of farmers in the country.