Liberia's Minister of Agriculture, Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah, has made a strong pitch to Liberians in the diaspora to invest in agriculture at home, saying the Government is laying the foundation for transformation but needs private investment to achieve food security and reduce dependence on imports.
Speaking at the Liberia Diaspora Annual Conference 2026 in Alexandria, Virginia on Friday, September 26, Dr. Nuetah said the Boakai administration is undertaking some of the most aggressive agricultural interventions in recent years -- from lowland development and mechanization to feeder roads, irrigation, and extension services -- to unlock production in key value chains including rice, cassava, maize, cocoa, coffee, and chilli pepper.
But he stressed that infrastructure alone will not feed the nation.
"The government can facilitate. We can build the infrastructure. But if the beneficiaries do not utilize it, we will not achieve anything," Dr. Nuetah told the gathering of diaspora professionals, government officials, and investors.
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t the heart of the Minister's message was Liberia's heavy reliance on imported food, particularly rice, the national staple.
"We are importing over 60 percent of the rice we eat," he said. "If you come to Liberia and grow more rice, we will have the market for it. We'll buy it from you."
To address this, Dr. Nuetah disclosed that the government has already developed about 16,000 hectares of production-ready lowland for rice cultivation, as part of a national target to develop 50,000 hectares. The lowlands, he explained, remove one of the biggest barriers to entry for commercial and smallholder rice farmers -- land preparation.
The Minister outlined a major mechanization drive aimed at moving Liberian farmers from subsistence to commercial scale.
According to him, the government is establishing 13 Agricultural Mechanization Service Centers across six counties to provide farmers affordable access to tractors, power tillers, harvesters and other equipment.
He also announced that the Government of the People's Republic of China is providing 304 pieces of agricultural machinery and equipment to Liberia as a gift, which will significantly strengthen the mechanization centers.
Beyond machinery, Dr. Nuetah pointed to investments in over 200 kilometers of feeder roads, irrigation facilities, and rural markets -- all designed to reduce post-harvest losses and connect farming communities to major markets.
On human capacity, he said the Ministry has recruited 138 new agricultural technicians to strengthen extension delivery nationwide, while a new digital farmer-registration system is being rolled out to accurately identify farmers, map their locations, and better target inputs and support.
Minister Nuetah cautioned that increasing production alone will not transform the sector without a parallel investment in the downstream segments of the value chain.
"Liberia needs greater private investment in processing, aggregation, storage, value addition and marketing to create reliable markets for farmers," he said.
He identified several high-potential investment areas, including rice, cassava, cocoa, coffee, maize, soybeans, rubber, chilli/cayenne pepper, cashew, and aquaculture.
For rice, he said diaspora investors can either establish commercial farms or operate as aggregators and processors who buy from smallholders -- solving the long-standing problem of lack of reliable off-takers.
He highlighted cassava for its potential in industrial processing and animal feed, and maize as critical to building a viable poultry and livestock industry to cut importation of chicken and eggs.
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Dr. Nuetah urged Liberians abroad to leverage not just their capital, but their expertise, business networks, and international exposure to invest directly or attract credible partners into Liberian agribusiness.
"We call upon you as Liberians in the diaspora to find opportunities there for investment in your country," he said.
He noted that Liberia is endowed with vast arable land, favorable rainfall and climate, and a large and guaranteed domestic market, making it ripe for commercial agriculture.
The agriculture investment forum was a key highlight of the Liberia Diaspora Annual Conference 2026, which convened Liberians from across the United States and beyond to explore concrete investment and collaboration pathways for national development.
