“Empower Local Farmers”

Liberia’s Former Vice President Joseph N. Boakai has urged the government to use what he calls comparative advantage to empower local farmers here.

Speaking to a cross section of students at the Gbarnga Administrative Buliding recently, Mr. Boakai said for local farmers to produce agriculture commodities in Liberia, the government should invest in farmers by providing them with the necessary skill trainings and materials.

He notes that when the farmers are empowered to produce local commodities including the country’s staple rice, such ventures will help President Weah to achieve his pro poor agenda.

However, Mr. Boakai who failed campaign to the presidency was primarily focused on roads, lamented the deplorable roads across the length and breadth of the country, which he said is serving as one of the major challenges facing farmers in the country.

He said at most times farmers commodities get destroyed while en-route to nearby markets because of the lack of farms to market roads.Mr. Boakai at the same time called on the current government of President Weah to as part of his Pro-poor agenda focus on the rehabilitation of farm to market roads for the overall improvement of the agriculture sector in the country.

He stated that the government should see reasons to allot more funding to the Ministry of Agriculture in resolving some of those challenges the agriculture sector is encountering in the country.

By Joseph Titus Yekeryan