By Nasratu Kargbo
Land Grabbers and Poachers have encroached into large portions of the Government’s five hundred and forty-two (542) hectares of Land in Newtown designated for the implementation of agricultural projects, according to the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Henry M. Kpaka.
The Minister expressed his frustration on the 26th of March 2024 at an event held to commission the cashew nut processing factory at Newtown outside of Freetown. He therefore called on the government and partners to ensure that the land is productively utilized, in a bid to stop the poachers.
He blamed the encroaching on the Government, stressing that if the place was occupied land grabbers would have had no way. “We are not doing anything here and when they see the land empty, they grab it. We need to use this space productively, otherwise, we will lose it to poachers and it would not benefit the community” he said
Dr.Kpaka also stated that he does not know why out of the vast land the government has in the area only an acre was given for the construction of the cashew processing factory, noting that they could have given them more just in case there might be plans to expand in the future.
Speaking about the factory itself, the minister urged the factory’s management to run the place as a business and should not expect the ministry to fund them. “This has to be sustainable, we have to run it like a business. It is worth nothing if we come here a year or two and find everything dilapidated and shut down” Dr. Kpaka stressed.
He said he has commissioned many other factories and had made time to visit those places to monitor their work, citing that he visited a specific one where he was told that they had not worked in months due to certain issues. The Minister added that he would love to see the processing factory very busy when he visits next time.
He said since the government has a mini-grid in the area he will make sure the factory is supplied power when the grid starts running.
Dr. Kpaka spoke of the significance of women in agriculture, acknowledging that for the ‘Feed Salone’ agenda to succeed; women have a vital role to play in actualizing the dream. He explained that women dominate the sector and go through a lot of hassle to ensure that their farms generate yields, but stated that in the end, they receive very little for their effort. He assured the female farmers that they intend to change that trajectory as a government.
Construction of the cashew factory was funded by the European Union and implemented by Solidaridad. The factory the first of its kind in the country has already created over three hundred jobs for Sierra Leoneans, the majority being women.
Copyright (c) Politico Online (05/04/24)
