Margibi County — A non-governmental organization, Serving Humanity for Empowerment and Development (SHED), as part of effort in promoting orange fleshed sweet potatoes in Liberia, has launched and harvested its first orange fleshed sweet potatoes farm to market agricultural products in Margibi.

SHED with funding from BMZ, in collaboration with Welt Hunger Hilfe (WHH), on Tuesday, November 26, 2024, launched and harvested outputs from its first Orange Fleshed-Sweet Potato (OFSP) project in Margibi County.

SHED Executive Director Madame Joyce Q. Pajibo, providing an overview of the Orange Fleshed Sweet Potatoes project, said the project is a US$1.6Millon project and expected to last for 36 Months with 180 demonstration sites containing 25 members each, 4,500 individual farmers that result from the 180 groups at the demonstration level and 1200 for vegetable farmers in four counties (Montserrado, Margibi, Grand Bassa, and Bong County).

According to Madam Pajibo, the orange fleshed sweet potatoes are new in Liberia that haven't been eaten by Liberians, adding that the project currently has 80 demonstration farms in Montserrado, Margibi, Grand Bassa and Bong County.

"Is how time that we begin to look for markets and do more awareness on the benefits of the orange-fleshed sweet potatoes on the body and also provide more income and improve the livelihood of farmers in Liberia," she added.

Serving as launcher of the Orange Fleshed Sweet potatoes harvest, the German Ambassador to Liberia, Dr. Jakob Haselhuber, lauded SHED, WHH, the farmers for first harvest of the orange fleshed Sweet potatoes as he promised to always patronize the orange fleshed Sweet potatoes for consumption.

In remarks, Deputy Agriculture Minister for Planning and Development, Min. David K. Akoi praised SHED through its ED Madam Pajibo and all farmers which he described are the main people who are doing the job of ensuring the visibility of the agriculture ministry.