By Alusine Fullah
Agriculture contributes massively to the economy of Sierra Leone. Food is one of the inevitable essentials of existence and agriculture makes it happen. It is arguably the largest sector in the country with a huge portion of the country’s population engaging in it. Therefore, economic growth and poverty reduction in Sierra Leone will only be sustained with developments in the agricultural sector.
Food security is a basic human right underpinning the necessity for people to have enough to eat. Such security is banked on three variables: availability, accessibility, and affordability. To see success in food security, a country must be able to grow sufficient food at affordable prices to feed its people and an adequate distribution network to ensure easy access by all.
In line with the foregoing, the governing Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) government has placed agriculture at the top of the nation’s development agenda; promising to boost agricultural productivity to fuel inclusive growth, boost food production, reduce hunger, boost exports, and create jobs.
The President Julius Maada Bio led government has pledged to increase government budget allocation to agriculture to at least 10%; develop policies to make local production of the rice competitive; establish at least five farmer service and agri-business centres across the country in the next three years to support knowledge transfer and provide critical service to farmers; establish a home-grown institution (school, military, hospital) feeding programme to induce food production.
As the sector expands, it will stimulate growth in other sectors as well as raw materials for agro-based industries. Also, it will generate employment along the agricultural value chain of input supply, production, agro-processing and marketing, including exportation.
There is a need to connect small-scale rural farmers to establish agri-businesses such as the Lion Mountain in Bo District, Mountain Lion in Bombali, Tonkolili District Farmers Association, Mills in Port Loko District, West Africa Rice Company in Bombali District, etc.
With the huge arable land scattered across the country and favourable weather, the FEED SALONE project, if fully implemented by the incumbent, is more than just a development program. It is a generational movement to propel Sierra Leone into an era of sustained food security, job creation, and an overall economic prosperity.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Tuesday, January 2nd, 2023 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)