The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), in collaboration with the ECOWAS Rice Observatory (ERO) and with support from the Food Systems Resilience Program, convened actors in the rice sector on October 10 and 11, 2023, to develop the National Rice Action Plan draft in line with the Feed Salone program.
In his keynote address, Deputy Minister 2 of Agriculture, Sahr Hemore, said that the development of the plan is a sequel to the launch of the National Chapter of the ECOWAS Rice Observatory, called the Sierra Leone Rice Observatory (SLeRO), on February 21 and 22, 2023. He noted that the government believes that the ERO and SLeRO will provide the resources to fuel the Feed Salone Program.
For sustainable rice production, the government relies on this plan to inform partners who will come to invest in the rice sector. Deputy Minister 2 emphasized the key areas the government expects the plan to address, including Seed and input systems, Agribusiness, Agricultural finance, Climate-smart agriculture, Women and youth employment, using research and technologies.
Rice Specialist, Julian M. Vangah, from the Presidential Initiative for Climate Change, Renewable Energy, and Food Security, described rice as a livelihood crop that the Sierra Leone community can grow to reduce hunger and poverty. She informed that the Presidential Initiative team will work with partners to ensure food security and income for farmers.
The Senior Permanent Secretary of MAFS, Andrew Sorie, who also doubles as the Chairman of the technical engagement, informed that the SLeRO will be housed in MAFS and that the World Bank-funded Food Resilience Systems has been of great support for SLeRO operations. He highlighted the new developments of MAFS in the rice sector, including a soil survey, agritech platforms, and policies that are now available to investors. MAFS believes that the operations of SLeRO are in line with Feed Salone and that they could boost rice self-sufficiency from now to 2030.
The SLeRO Chairman, Abdulai Bun Wai, presented the draft National Rice Action Plan (AWP) to the participants to carefully develop the budget. The draft budget was presented by groups for suggestions and recommendations. The final draft of the plan will be submitted to the consultant to compile and submit for validation. The National Farmers Federation was present to ensure that the plan was commensurate with their efforts.
