By Aminata Abu Bakarr Kamara
The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) has purchased 9,000 bags of locally produced rice as part of a new agreement with the Ministry of Agriculture aimed at strengthening domestic food procurement for military feeding.
The agreement, signed on Friday at the Kobia Store in Kambia District, seeks to institutionalise the procurement of locally produced food for the armed forces while creating a reliable market for Sierra Leonean farmers.
The rice forms part of approximately 10,000 bags that have been stored at the facility for the past two years under the Food Systems Resilience Programme (FSRP) as part of the country’s Strategic Grain Reserve.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Minister of Agriculture Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka said the agreement would transform the Strategic Grain Reserve into a more active market for local farmers while ensuring that stored rice is properly rotated.
“Today, we have no crisis, and that is why we are signing an agreement that allows the government to purchase the rice for the military, so that the money will go back to farmers to scale up production,” Dr. Kpaka said.
He confirmed that, as an initial step, the military had purchased 9,000 50-kilogramme bags of rice at what he described as a competitive price.
According to the Minister, the arrangement will deliver three key benefits: creating a market for farmers, rotating the country’s strategic rice reserves and reducing the military’s dependence on imported rice.
“This means three things: farmers get a market, our rice reserves are rotated, and the military imports less rice,” Dr. Kpaka said.
He added that the initiative reflects the government’s broader strategy of promoting local production, increasing domestic purchases and retaining economic value within Sierra Leone.
Deputy Minister of Defence, Colonel (Rtd.) Muana Brima Massaquoi, said the RSLAF was also taking steps to increase its own agricultural production as part of efforts to reduce reliance on imported food.
He disclosed that the military had cultivated approximately 1,000 hectares of farmland this year, signalling its commitment to producing more of the food required for feeding personnel.
“We can feed ourselves. It is a challenge, but through Feed Salone, we are determined to achieve it,” Colonel Massaquoi said.
The agreement forms part of wider efforts under the government’s Feed Salone initiative to improve food self-sufficiency, strengthen domestic agricultural production and create sustainable markets for local farmers.
Under the arrangement, the Food Systems Resilience Programme will continue supporting smallholder farmers through the Ministry of Agriculture to increase production and improve their capacity to meet institutional demand.
The purchase of the locally produced rice is therefore expected to provide a direct and dependable market for farmers while helping the country make better use of its strategic food reserves.
For the military, increased access to locally produced rice could gradually reduce the cost and dependence associated with importing food supplies, while strengthening the connection between national agricultural production and institutional food demand.
The initiative also demonstrates how government institutions can serve as major consumers of locally produced agricultural commodities, providing farmers with predictable markets and encouraging increased investment in domestic food production.
The latest agreement is consequently being viewed as an important step towards building a more resilient food system in which Sierra Leone produces more of what it consumes, institutions buy locally, and greater value from agricultural production remains within the domestic economy.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Monday, 31st August 2026 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
