By: Sylvester Alhaji Massaquoi
President Julius Maada Bio has said that under his Feed Salone project, the government “will enact a strategic policy to ensure a high percentage of the staple food we supply to various government institutions, the Military, Correctional Service Centres, the Police, the Fire Force, Schools, and Hospitals are locally produced”.
Launching the initiative as part of World Food Day celebrations in Pujehun on Monday, the president said private sector businesses were “not just the engine of growth for our economy but the “midwife” of our agriculture vision…Together with the Private Sector, every investment will be a seed sown in the soil of Sierra Leone, germinating jobs, creating wealth, and promoting the well-being of our people”.
President Bio described the Feed Salone project as a “generational movement to propel Sierra Leone into an era of agricultural self-reliance, where every man, woman, and child is a witness to and a participant in a flourishing economy marked by food security, job creation, and overall economic prosperity”, arguing that “the over US$500 million worth of food items imported each year in Sierra Leone could be used to develop and modernise the agriculture sector, improving the livelihood of our people.
He said companies that import foods like rice, onions, chicken, and eggs should gradually devise plans to replace these imports with local production. He said, “Through the Ministry of Finance, we will set up schemes to de-risk your investment and provide other incentives to make it even more profitable for you to produce locally and lay the foundation for transforming you into exporters from Sierra Leone”.
Earlier Dr. Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella, Chairman of the Presidential Initiative on Energy, Food Security and Climate Change, emphasized the importance of the program in addressing the root causes of food insecurity. “This is not just about providing handouts to people in need,” Hon. Yumkella said. “It is about empowering our farmers to be self-sufficient, to be able to feed their families and communities, and to contribute to the growth of our economy.” He called on the people to monitor the government’s investment in the Feed Salone project to make sure they get value for money.
Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka, the Minister of Agriculture said the sector could transform Sierra Leone’s economy and the lives of its people. “We are starting with Pujehun district because it is a major agricultural hub, but our goal is to eventually cover the entire country,” Dr Kpaka said. “We have enlisted the support of local leaders, farmers, and community organizations, and we are confident that together we can make Feed Salone a success.”
The president of the National Farmers’ Association of Sierra Leone NAFFSL also voiced his organization’s support for Feed Salone, reiterating the importance of agriculture to Sierra Leone’s development. “This is an important step towards achieving food security in our country and we are committed to working with the government to ensure that this program is implemented effectively and that our farmers can benefit from it.”
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