By Edwin N Khakie
In an interview with a Team of Journalists in Gbarnga over the weekend, the Acting Director General of the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA), Dan Saryee, laid out an ambitious vision for revitalizing Liberia’s key cash crops, cocoa, coffee, and oil palm as pillars of national economic growth and job creation.
Mr. Saryee emphasized that LACRA is now taking decisive steps to reposition itself as a catalyst for agricultural transformation, with a focus on enhancing productivity, value addition, and export readiness across the country.
According to Mr. Saryee, within the next three weeks, LACRA’s local offices in Gbarnga (Bong County), Nimba, Lofa, and other operational areas will become fully proactive in service delivery. He explained that the activation of these offices is a strategic move to decentralize the institution’s operations and create new employment opportunities for Liberians, especially rural youth and women.
“Our local facilities are not just administrative centers, they will become hubs for farmer support, quality control, and rural job creation,” Saryee noted.
He added that these offices will assist smallholder farmers with certification, training, and access to markets, thereby increasing Liberia’s competitiveness in the global agricultural commodities trade.
The acting LACRA boss reiterated his commitment to building a strong partnership between government institutions and smallholder producers. He stressed that trust, transparency, and capacity building are critical to ensuring that Liberia’s agricultural products meet international standards and generate meaningful income for farmers.
“We are putting mechanisms in place to ensure that cocoa, coffee, and oil palm produced in Liberia are not only of high quality but also traceable, so that our farmers benefit from fair trade and improved market prices,” he stated.
Mr. Saryee’s vision aligns with the broader goals of the Liberian government to diversify the economy through agriculture, reduce dependency on imports, and promote sustainable livelihoods. He underscored that agriculture remains one of the most viable sectors for employment and poverty reduction in Liberia.
He called on development partners, the private sector, and farmer cooperatives to collaborate with LACRA in achieving its renewed mandate.
While acknowledging the challenges that exist in the sector, Mr. Saryee called for patience and collective action. He assured the public that LACRA is undergoing internal reforms to improve efficiency, transparency, and accountability in its operations.
“We’re not just talking; we’re implementing real, practical steps,” he said. “Liberia’s agriculture sector can and will rise again with vision, coordination, and hard work.”
As LACRA prepares to scale up its regional operations in the coming weeks, many citizens see this as a promising moment for Liberia’s cash crop industry and rural economic empowerment.
