By Christian.conteh@awokonewspaper.sl
Freetown, SIERRA LEONE – Sierra Leone’s agricultural sector has achieved outstanding progress towards self-sufficiency in rice manufacturing, pushed by a major rise in home output and a pointy decline in imports. According to a 2024 information from the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, rice imports have dropped by over 60% within the first eight months of 2024 in comparison with 2022, reflecting the nation’s rising capability to fulfill its personal rice wants.
In 2021, Sierra Leone imported roughly 380,000 metric tons (MT) of rice, with imports peaking at 430,000 MT in 2022. However, in 2023, imports plummeted to beneath 250,000 MT, marking a notable 60% discount by mid-2024 in comparison with 2022 ranges. This dramatic decline underscores the nation’s growing self-sufficiency in rice manufacturing. Correspondingly, the worth of rice imports adopted the same trajectory, falling from an estimated USD 180 million in 2022 to a discount of 25% by 2023.
Growth in Domestic Production- The surge in home rice manufacturing has been a key issue on this lowered dependence on imports. In 2023, Sierra Leone expanded its space underneath rice cultivation by 9.5%, from 554,401 hectares in 2022 to 607,207 hectares. This enlargement, coupled with improved farming practices, resulted in a 35.2% enhance in paddy rice output, rising from 947,464 MT in 2022 to 1,280,576 MT in 2023.
In phrases of yield, productiveness improved from 1.9 MT per hectare to 2.1 MT per hectare, reflecting higher effectivity within the sector. Additionally, milled rice manufacturing noticed a soar from 568,479 MT to 691,511 MT, indicating improved post-harvest processing and milling practices. These beneficial properties have been largely attributed to the Feed Salone initiative, which has targeted on offering well timed entry to inputs, equipment, and monetary assist to farmers.
Investments and Support for Farmers- The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAFS) performed a vital function in supporting 91,982 farmers, 43.7% of whom are girls throughout the 2024 planting season. These farmers benefited from focused assist, together with entry to seeds, equipment, and technical experience, which contributed to the productiveness increase.
Infrastructure investments have been one other essential element of this success. The authorities accomplished the development of 200 kilometres of feeder roads and 4 rural bridges, enhancing market entry and lowering transportation prices for farmers.
To additional assist the sector, the federal government launched a number of agricultural finance devices totalling greater than USD 28 million. These included a USD 10 million credit score facility from the Bank of Sierra Leone, providing loans at a beneficial 10% rate of interest to spice up agricultural productiveness. Other initiatives, such because the Seed Systems Roadmap developed with the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute (SLARI), targeted on multiplying high-yield seed varieties, guaranteeing that no rice seeds have been imported for the second consecutive 12 months.
Path to Rice Self-Sufficiency- With the present self-sufficiency fee for rice at roughly 64%, Sierra Leone has made vital strides towards closing the hole between home manufacturing and nationwide consumption. The Feed Salone program, with its give attention to growing productiveness, enhancing infrastructure, and offering monetary assist, is anticipated to additional speed up this progress within the coming years.
Looking forward, the federal government plans to proceed scaling up investments in infrastructure, irrigation techniques, and seed growth to scale back the nation’s reliance on rice imports. Additionally, multi-million-dollar tasks aimed toward livestock and cassava industrialization are anticipated to diversify agricultural output and create new financial alternatives for Sierra Leone’s farmers, notably girls and youth. CC/22/10/2024
