Liberia has secured a US$36 million investment commitment aimed at transforming its rubber industry and strengthening support for smallholder farmers, following high-level discussions between Agriculture Minister Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah and Cambodia-based Mainland Group, one of Asia's leading agribusiness and rubber processing companies.
The commitment was announced on Tuesday during Minister Nuetah's six-day official working visit to Cambodia, where the Liberian delegation toured Mainland Group's flagship rubber processing facility in Phnom Penh--described by officials as the largest of its kind in the country.
Under the proposed agreement, Mainland Group plans to invest approximately US$36 million in establishing rubber processing facilities and supporting operations in Liberia. The company, which operates across Asia and Africa, is expanding its footprint in West Africa's agribusiness sector.
A key feature of the investment is its focus on smallholder farmers through an out-grower scheme designed to link producers directly to processing facilities. The structured supply model is expected to improve market access, stabilize prices, and reduce income volatility for thousands of rural households dependent on rubber cultivation.
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"Our priority is to build agricultural value chains that directly benefit Liberian farmers," Agriculture Minister Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah said during the engagement. "This investment represents opportunity, stability, and long-term economic empowerment for thousands of rubber-producing households across Liberia."
The Ministry of Agriculture explained that the scheme seeks to address long-standing challenges in Liberia's rubber sector, where smallholder farmers often face low farm-gate prices, delayed payments, and limited access to reliable buyers.
Officials said the project represents a shift toward agro-industrial development, focusing on value addition rather than the export of raw commodities. Rubber remains one of Liberia's most important cash crops and foreign exchange earners, but limited domestic processing has historically constrained national earnings and job creation.
By expanding local processing capacity, the government expects the investment to generate employment, increase farmer incomes, and improve Liberia's ability to retain more value within its economy.
Mainland Group has also expressed interest in expanding beyond rubber, with the Ministry indicating that the company is exploring opportunities in rice and cassava processing, cocoa and coffee value chains, sugar production, and warehouse infrastructure development. Officials described the rubber initiative as the first phase of a broader agricultural industrialization agenda.
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Implementation details, including site selection and project timelines, are expected to be finalized by technical teams from both Liberia and Mainland Group in the coming months.
Minister Nuetah's visit to Cambodia also included tours of rice mills, agricultural farms, and research institutions as Liberia studies international best practices to adapt to its domestic agricultural sector. The delegation is expected to hold further engagements with additional Cambodian agribusiness firms before returning to Monrovia.
"From Cambodia to Liberia, partnerships are being built, investments are being secured, and the future of Liberian agriculture is taking shape," the Ministry of Agriculture noted.
The Ministry added that further updates will be provided once formal agreements are signed and implementation frameworks are finalized.
