The Government of Sierra Leone, in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP), has on Wednesday, 23rd April, 2025 dispatched over 2,044 metric tons of locally grown rice, equivalent to 40,880 bags, for institutional feeding.

The initiative is part of the FeedSalone homegrown program, designed to support various institutions, including schools, military facilities, and correctional centers.

The rice dispatch was officially launched by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka, at the WFP warehouse in Kissy. Dr. Kpaka emphasized the importance of this initiative in supporting school feeding programs, stating, “This is Feed Salone rice, grown here, processed here, and feeding our children. We’ve moved from vision to delivery. And this is just the beginning.”

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This year’s local rice procurement marks a significant increase, more than doubling the quantities purchased by WFP in the previous year. The procurement was facilitated through a contract awarded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, which authorizes WFP to directly source rice from farmers for school feeding.

Additionally, it was confirmed that support will be extended to the Sierra Leone Produce Marketing Company (SLPMC) for procurement activities aimed at other public institutions, including the military and police.

The initiative has injected over $2 million into local economies and farming communities, providing a vital boost to rural development. The rice sourced for the program was produced by approximately 12,000 smallholder farmers across seven districts, with the goal of feeding more than 270,000 pupils in 1,155 schools.

With Sierra Leone needing around 1.1 million metric tons of rice annually and only importing about 300,000 to 400,000 metric tons, reportedly, the bulk is already grown locally. According to the Ministry, the government’s new goal is to expand that model to serve other public institutions, including the military, police, and hospitals.