In a bid to increase rice production, Agriculture Minister Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah has encouraged many farmers in Bong County to transition to lowland rice cultivation.
Addressing the county's farmers at separate town hall meetings recently, Dr. Nuetah said farmers leaving the upland for the lowland will enable them to produce enough rice for the nation.
He added that the government wants to support the farmers in developing 1500 hectares of lowland within the county this farming season and would require their fullest cooperation in working with his ministry to succeed.
The Minister's call comes following President Joseph Nyuma Boakai's recent pronouncement that Liberia would double rice production this year by developing 6,500 hectares of lowland in several counties.
According to the MoA, last year the country was able to develop more than 4,000 hectares of lowland using technologies to scale up.
The initiative aims to achieve the government's target of developing 50,000 hectares of lowlands in five years in line with the National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP).
The goal is to increase rice production in order to reduce importation. Liberia spent approximately US$200 million to import rice annually.
Minister Nuetah cautioned the farmers to produce more rice for themselves and the country.
"When you continue to buy rice, you are keeping yourselves in poverty. The money you need to support your children in good schools is what you will be using for food," he cautioned the farmers.
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According to him, his Ministry stands ready to support the farmers in destumping and laying out of the swamps, with the provision of improved rice seed varieties and fertilizers.
"We will help you to develop the land for the first year by providing all of the necessary support. But the following year, you will be responsible for finding the resources to reinvest. We are going to make sure that we purchase the rice that you will grow," he stated.
Bong County is one of the major food-producing counties in the country. However, it is observed that many of the smallholder farmers are still growing rice on the upland and experiencing very low yields.
Though the government's projects are working with the farmers in the county, many of the farmers told the Minister during his visit that they are struggling to farm. They outlined challenges such as the lack of fertilizers to improve their yield, lack of equipment, and poor extension services and among others.
Minister Nuetah mentioned that Bong County has the potential to grow more rice from swampland.
"We believe that this county has the potential to grow more rice in the lowland. There were a lot of lowlands developed here before the war and we want to rehabilitate them for you to make more money to improve your living conditions," he said.
