Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka,

By Dadson Musa

The government of Sierra Leone, in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), has flagged off the distribution of over 2,044 metric tons of locally produced rice equivalent to 40,880 bags as part of a nationwide school feeding initiative, the effort marks a major milestone in the government’s flagship Feed Salone agenda.

The dispatch ceremony was led by the minister of agriculture and food security, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka, at the WFP warehouse in Kissy, Freetown, and the rice was cultivated by approximately 12,000 smallholder farmers across seven districts and is expected to provide meals for more than 270,000 pupils in 1,155 schools.

This is Feed Salone rice grown here, processed here, and now feeding our children, said Dr. Kpaka, we’ve moved from vision to delivery, and this is just the beginning.

This year’s procurement is more than double the volume of local rice purchased by WFP in 2024. The increase was made possible through a strategic agreement between the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and WFP, allowing the UN agency to directly off-take rice from local farming cooperatives for school feeding purposes.

In addition to nourishing schoolchildren, the initiative is injecting over $2 million into rural economies and farming communities, providing both financial empowerment and market access to local farmers.

Sierra Leone’s national rice consumption is estimated at 1.1 million metric tons annually. With imports accounting for roughly 300,000 to 400,000 metric tons, the majority of the rice consumed is already grown domestically, the government aims to further expand the Feed Salone model to supply other public institutions, including the military, police, and healthcare facilities.

The move signals a strong commitment to food self-sufficiency, local economic development, and improved nutrition for Sierra Leone’s schoolchildren.

Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Friday, May 9th, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)