Mackie M Jalloh: Sierra Leone Telegraph: 02 October 2024:
As the world prepares to celebrate World Food Day (WFD), Sierra Leone’s Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka and senior officials of his ministry departed Freetown for the provinces on Monday 30th September 2023 on a nationwide tour of farming communities and private sector agri-businesses.
The purpose of the tour is to assess flood impacts, productivity and farmers’ preparedness for the forthcoming WFD celebrations on October 16 and the first anniversary of the ‘Feed Salone’ initiative launch.
On Tuesday, 1st October 2024, Minister Kpaka visited the Med-Tulai Agri-Business processing centre in Makarie Village in Bombali District and the 100-hectre rice farm of the same Med-Tulai agro dealer in Mayobo Village, Makarie Chiefdom, Bombali District.
Med-Tulai Agri-Business is considered by the Ministry of Agriculture as an outstanding and promising private sector player along the rice value chain in Bombali District, northern Sierra Leone.
Explaining the operations of the processing Centre, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Centre, Madam Kadija Bangura briefed the minister and team that the centre is a lead supplier of local parboiled rice used for the school feeding programme in Koinadugu and Falaba Districts. She noted that the centre had in two years supplied over 1,400 tons of parboiled rice to the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) for the School Feeding Programme and over 400 tons to the local market for individual consumption.
Madam Bangura intimated the visiting team how they had also been approached by WFP for supply of same for rice in Bombali and Tonkolili Districts. “Meeting such market demand requires huge tons of paddy for processing”, Madam Bangura noted.
Elaborating on how her agro-business intends to address the demand and supply challenge, Mrs. Bangura disclosed that they had invested over seventy-five thousand United States dollars (75,000USD) in procuring two new tractors that will increase their scale of productivity through their 500 women-driven farmers scheme.
She underscored how her agri-business out-grower scheme has benefited from support from the Ministry of Agriculture including training in agricultural best practices.
Responding to Med-Tulai Agri-business CEO, Dr. Kpaka lauded Madam Bangura and her team of women farmers for remaining true to President Bio’s call for real private sector involvement in achieving the ‘Feed Salone’ agenda.
Minister Kpaka affirmed that the agenda of the President does not mean that he is bringing and placing food on the table of every Sierra Leonean, but to create the enabling atmosphere for all players in the sector to effectively and efficiently play their roles as demonstrated by Med-Tulai Agro-dealer in Bombali. He challenged Sierra Leoneans to be motivated by and follow the good example of Med-Tulai Agro dealer by genuinely investing in the sector.
The minister and team also visited the Med-Tulai Agri-business farm at Mayobo village, Makarie Chiefdom where they were welcomed by tens of women farmers who constituted the numerous out-grower groups of Med-Tulai.
At the 100-hectare rice farm at Mayobo, Minister Kpaka expressed his appreciation to the women farmers and their story of transforming a once military firing range into a productive farmland. He encouraged them to increase their productivity next season to support the President’s vision and the government’s mission to achieve the ‘Feed Salone’ agenda.
Dr. Kpaka formally extended his ministry’s invitation the women farmers and Med-Tulai Agribusiness to the forthcoming WFD celebrations to be held in Kailahun Town, Kailahun District, Eastern Sierra Leone
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