Liberia’s agriculture ministry launches harvest of 300 hectares of lowland rice

LIBERIA – The Liberian Ministry of Agriculture has officially launched the harvest of 300 hectares of lowland rice from the Donkodan Cooperative, a major rice project in Gbedin, Nimba County.

Presiding the launch, Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah, Agriculture Minister, underscored the importance of mechanized farming in revolutionizing Liberia’s agricultural sector and alleviating rural poverty.

“This is how we want to do agriculture in the country by promoting farm mechanization,” Dr. Nuetah stated.

“Today, we have demonstrated with the equipment that rice can be harvested in just a few minutes. Using farm machines will increase productivity and make the nation self-sufficient,” he added.

The Minister emphasized the government’s new agricultural development plan, which targets cultivating 50,000 hectares of lowland rice within five years.

“With this harvest, we are expecting 600 metric tons of rice that will be processed and placed on the market. Our aim is to reduce the importation of rice and ensure food security,” he reiterated.

Established in 1960, the Donkodan Cooperative was once a cornerstone of Liberia’s self-sufficiency in rice production.

However, the prolonged civil war severely disrupted its infrastructure, including its irrigation dam system. While international aid has supported efforts to revive the cooperative, significant challenges—such as limited equipment, governance issues, and restricted access to financing—have persisted.

The Ministry’s intervention through the World Bank-funded Smallholder Transformation Agribusiness Revitalization Project (STAR-P) has marked a turning point for the cooperative.

The project has supported the cooperative by scaling up production from 200 to 300 hectares. Key provisions include a tractor for plowing, a combine harvester to minimize post-harvest losses, fertilizers, and other essential tools.

Additionally, the Ministry rehabilitated one of the cooperative’s irrigation dams, with plans to restore the remaining infrastructure.

More than 250 smallholder farmers, the majority of whom are women, have benefited from the Ministry’s intervention in partnership with the Gbedin Agro Business Enterprise.

Samuel Brown, head of Gbedin Agro, praised the initiative but highlighted the need for further support to sustain the progress.

“The cooperative needs additional equipment, such as a power tiller, and access to loans to purchase rice from farmers and supply it to the market. We also want the Cooperative Development Agency (CDA) to help address the cooperative’s governance issues,” Mr Brown said.

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