President Koroma graces Makeni agricultural show
28 March, 2011 – MAKENI: The 1st National Agricultural and Fisheries Trade Fair organized by the Ministries of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security and Fisheries and Marine Resources over the weekend in Makeni was graced by President Ernest Bai Koroma.
Welcoming the President and Delegation, the Mayor of Makeni Moses Sesay said the occasion is due to the commitment of the President, regarding his dreams for agriculture to be top of government’s priorities.
He recalled that before now, it was just subsistence farming but today we are talking of taking it to a level of processing, parceling and exporting. He said eye witness show that the town and its environs are rapidly growing and boasted that Makeni has what it takes to help build the town and country
In a statement a Representative of the National Federation of Farmers referred to the occasion as historic noting that two third of our population are farmers that are assisted by FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security.
The Representative of the Council of Paramount Chiefs said the President’s policies have all being successful in line with the Agenda for Change and called for the establishment of an Agricultural Bank
The United Nation Country Team representative said government is determined to move the nation from the bottom of the Human Development Index
The Parliamentary Community on Agriculture Chairman Suffian Kargbo said their role is to support government in agriculture. He said the average person in the country eats about two bags of rice per year and that Parliament is unanimous for Sierra Leone to be self sufficient in rice, calling for all to put politics aside and work towards building the nation.
The Minister of Trade Richard Conteh informed that parliament has approved funds for people in small Commercialization projects and that come the 31st of M arch Sierra Leone will start to buy fuel in liters instead of gallons
Minister of Information I B Kargbo, congratulated the ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources for positive actions in the various Ministries and congratulated farmers who he said are doing very well and commended some Ministers for having farmers.
Marine Minister Soccoh Kabia said our fishes are now well processed, packaged and put outnationally and internationally. He said our Waters are now being surveillance and that laws are being put in place to guard our waters and fish
In his statement the Minister of Agriculture said the fair is a means of talking the nation as all districts are represented. Agriculture he noted is being looked upon today as a business and that this is an opportunity to sell products and exchange ideas. The fair he said is also a means of competition among districts, as the President, Vice President, Ministers are all living by examples by owning farms
Government he said is concern about cross border trade, wherein our rice, palm oil gari go through the border illegally.
Presentations of awards in Agriculture was given to president Koroma as master farmer and Vice president, the Kionadugu Women Cooperative, Hon Alimamy Kamara, I B Kargbo, Haroul Trading, Hamid Kamara all as Master Farmers
The first Price for Crops Haroul Trading, second to Hamid Kamara and third to Komba Kono.Chernor Barrie, Dr Sheku Saccoh, SLAFO and Marie Bo Kamara were also given prices. District prices went to Kono, Bombali respectively, whilst the best district went to Koinadugu District
Speaking at the occasion President Koroma thanked them all for the turn out which he said portray agriculture as vital. This fair is to sit and talk to ourselves the president noted and as to how to move the nation forward on agriculture being the backbone of the nation.
According to the president the Agenda for Change is to provide a clear direction with Agriculture being our priority. He said about 3.5 people depend for their survival on agriculture but yet 70% are under the poverty line due to subsistence farming. He advised that concentration should now be focus to mechanized farming in line with the Maputu Declaration
From 2010-2014 President Koroms informed that 1st step Agriculture will be commercialized as government wants to turn agriculture into business. Farmers he said must now come and organized
Themselves as government will provide the training, seedlings and funds for every chiefdom which no doubt has an agricultural centre to commercialized agriculture. Government he promised will do her best to open up the roads
He appealed to farmers to seize this opportunity and called for mass irrigation scale that will help us to export even rice. As a nation president Koroma said we must not give up easily and that we must all put politics aside and work towards the interest of the country.
According to President Koroma during his second term the country hoped not to import rice. He was taken on a conducted tour of the Agriculture fair.
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