MONROVIA-A Liberian agriculturist who is the Executive Director of the Agriculture Research Consortium (ARC) David Taigbailee has praised the Liberian Government through the Ministry of Agriculture for approving a USD 2 million grant application to promote farming in Liberia.
Recently, the Ministry of Agriculture’s official page reported that the Funds Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Liberia Agriculture Commercialization Funds (LACF) ended its first sitting with the approval of twenty-three grants for farmers, agribusiness including smallholder agricultural producers, and processors.
According to the information, those farmers who are interested were advised to apply online with the link https//rb.gy/lyx34w.
Mr. Taigbailee said with such vital information, is a big enhancement to food security in Liberia.
He noted that farmers getting the opportunity to access funding put them in the rightful position to produce agricultural products mostly food.
According to him, the Ministry of Agriculture through the Funds Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Liberia Agriculture Commercialization Funds (LACF) ensures that the process is transparent.
“If the process is transparent, then those within the sector will utilize such funding for the intended purpose,” he indicated.
The Liberia Agriculture Commercialization Funds (LACF) is the body that is responsible to manage the matching grant component of the Rural Economic Transformation project (RETRAP) and the Smallholder Agriculture Transformation and Agribusiness Revitalization project (STAR-P).
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, both projects are funded by the World Bank, the International Funds for Agricultural Development (IFAD) together with the Farmers Business Network funds indicating that such fund has some components of the STAR-P.
Additionally, the projects are managed by a project implementation Unit (PIU) of the Ministry of Agriculture.
The MOA information indicated that the approval of the USD 2 million grant application to promote farming in Liberia was done in a meeting that was held at a local hotel in Monrovia.
The Liberian agriculturist said the transformation of Liberia mostly depends on agriculture.
He said if the country has sufficient food, the people of that country will live happily and healthily in the body, because of the nutritional food that they are eating.
Alphonso Toweh
Has been in the profession for over twenty years. He has worked for many international media outlets including: West Africa Magazine, Africa Week Magazine, African Observer and did occasional reporting for CNN, BBC World Service, Sunday Times, NPR, Radio Deutchewells, Radio Netherlands. He is the current correspondent for Reuters
He holds first MA with honors in International Relations and a candidate for second master in International Peace studies and Conflict Resolution from the University of Liberia.