GOL-WB STCRSP gives out vehicles, motorbikes

Some of the assorted items, one of the vehicles & motorbikes given to CDA & CAOs

In order to boost agricultural production in Liberia, the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA)-World Bank Smallholder Tree Crops Revitalization Support Project (STCRSP) on Friday, provided several vehicles, motorbikes, and office and field equipment to the Cooperatives Development Agency (CDA), as well as heads of Counties Agriculture Offices (CAOs).

Turning over the vehicles and the items, the Project Coordinator of the STCRSP, Nyada Yoba Baldeh, noted that the CDA and the CAOs should ensure that the vehicles, motorbikes, and other equipment should be used to facilitate their work in helping to alleviate poverty and increase the social and economic wellbeing of the smallholder tree crop farmers.

According to him, if these smallholder tree crop farmers don’t benefit from the use of these items, it means the project development objective will not be realized. Baldeh further indicated that support to the agriculture sector will enhance the ministry’s effort to boost agricultural productivity in the country.

Baldeh said Counties to benefit from these items are: Bong, Grand Gedeh, Margibi, Grand Bassa, Nimba and Montserrado. The items provided to the CAOs were: 10 motorbikes, 6 canon printers, 6 laptops, 5 digital cameras, memory cards, 6 visitor chairs and other assorted stationery supplies for a year.

Items received by the CDA include: 6 double cabin Toyota pickups, 6 motor cycles, 1 HP Laser jet printer, 6 laptops and bags, 6 air conditioners, 6 APC, UPS and 6 visitor chairs. Other items received by the CDA were: office desks, office secretary chairs, visitor chairs and 5KVA generator, 1 unit.

Also speaking the Director of the Project Management Unit (PMU) of the Ministry, Dr. Moses Zinnah, who also deputized for Dr. Charles McClain and formally handed over the items, cautioned the beneficiaries to fully utilize the items received for the intended purposes.

He said if the PMU does not manage items given by donors and the government, they (donors and government) will not be satisfied to continue their support, therefore, the CAOs and the CDA should ensure that the items received are used for their intended purposes.

According to him, the vehicles and other items are for official use only. He also informed the gathering that the PMU will ensure the full monitoring of all items received by the CDA and the CAOs.

For his part, the Director of the Department of Extension, Edward Perry, on behalf of Deputy Minister for Regional Development, Research and Extension Thomas Gbokie, thanked the PMU- STCRSP for the items provided, because according to him if there is no mobility and equipment for agricultural purposes, food security will not be realized.

Accordingly, the Director General of the CDA, Richelieu Mitchell has assured the PMU-STCRSP that the vehicles, motorbikes and other equipments received will be used for the intended purposes.

Meanwhile, it was agreed that beneficiaries of these project items should ensure that they closely coordinate and monitor the implementation of all project activities in their respective Counties from July 1, 2014. The Project Coordination Unit will expect regular progress reports from the County Agriculture Coordinators and the Cooperative Development Agency.