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The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) has requested for 321 billion Leones to ensure rice sufficiency by 2023.
The Agriculture Ministry made the request on the 21st September this year at the Ministry of Finance (MoF) Conference Hall in Freetown where various ministries were discussing their budget for the 2022 Fiscal Year. MAF is set to increase rice production from 59% to 86% in order to attain the human capital development target of rice sufficiency by the year 2023.
Mathew Dingie, Principal Deputy Financial Secretary of the Finance Ministry, admonished MAF to rethink their model of implementation on the youth farms project. He made this observation whiling citing the many challenges the project is faced that are impending its success as anticipated by the Government. He suggested to MAF that better planning strategies geared towards rice cultivation be targeted.
Dingie promised that the MoF payment for fertilisers for October will be factored into the 2022 budget of MAF. He stressed on the importance of timeframe with regards agriculture. He advised that MAF channels ongoing projects that need financial support from the MoF.
Deputy Chief Agriculture Officer, Dr. Mohamed Ayouba Sheriff noted that the Ministry’s Quick Action Economic Response Programmes (QAERP) will be a strategic focus for the increase of agricultural production in 2022. He promised that the Ministry will continue to work on their 2022 deliverables.
Dr. Sheriff stated that the Ministry will also work towards minimising the importation of crops and livestock like cashew, cocoa, onion, and chicken among others. He said that they will provide the necessary support to farmers with improved seeds and services across the country to actualise that goal.
He pointed out that MAF has 9,692.43 hectares for supported farms and 12,000.00 hectares for Youth farms. He however stated that there are challenges with some youths who are failing to own up to expectations.
Charles Tom Kamanda, Permanent Secretary at MoF pleaded with his Ministry to quickly disburse funds to support farmers since agriculture is timebound. He said support for farmers before the planting season is key for productivity.
