Agriculture Minister Tours Tonkolili Poultry Farms Ahead of Feed Salone 3rd Anniversary
Sia Lucy Kannah The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Henry Musa Kpaka has led a high-level delegation to inspect key venues and engage local agricultural stakeholders ahead of the Feed Salone Initiative and World Food Day celebrations.
Tonkolili District will host this year’s national World Food Day celebrations and the 3rd anniversary of the government’s flagship “Feed Salone” initiative in Magburaka-Tonkolili District.
To ensure full readiness, the Minister of Agriculture Kpaka, led the high-level delegation on Friday, October 2.
Joined by Deputy Minister II, Ing. Bryan Smart-Kanu, senior ministry officials, and representatives from the National Federation of Farmers Associations of Sierra Leone (NaFFSL), the minister met with district authorities and leadership at the Ernest Bai Koroma University of Science and Technology (EBKUST).
As part of the tour, the delegation visited several key agricultural facilities across Magburaka and Makeni, focusing specifically on assessing and boosting local poultry production.
During interactions with farm operators, discussions centered on core operational challenges—including feed and input costs, production limits, market distribution, and limited access to affordable financing.
Minister Kpaka highlighted financing solutions currently available through loan and grant facilities offered by the Ministry in partnership with the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF).
“This sector is close to President Bio’s heart because of its critical role in nutrition security, creating jobs, and reducing dependence on imports,” Dr. Kpaka told farmers, urging local producers to leverage available government support schemes to scale up output.
The delegation’s tour continues on Saturday, October 3, with scheduled visits to additional poultry and agricultural sites across Kambia District.