March 18, 2021
By: Aruna Kamara (Bo)
The Chairman of the Sierra Leone Sorghum Farmers Association, Denis Jusu, who doubles as the Chief Executive Officer of Jam jay Agricultural Limited Sierra Leone has called on all farmers in Sierra Leone to embark on the cultivation of Sorghums crops as there is currently high demand for it by the Sierra Leone Brewery and the Benemix Company for the production of their various foodstuffs.
He told this medium that sorghum farming started in this country since 2006 but on a very low scale and that a research has been conducted on Sorghum and rice. He disclosed that research has proven that the sorghum that is planted in Sierra Leone is very good for the Sierra Leone brewery to produce their local products.
The study, he noted was conducted based on the fact that Brewery was highly making use of rice, which is Sierra Leone’s staple food and there was a need for a substitute so that the people of the country cannot continue to experience shortage of rice.
Mr. Jusu went on to say that Brewery is the chief user of large volume of rice and now that their demand is going to shift to sorghum it is better for the country. The Benemix Mix Company is also in need of Sorghum to make babies food.
He said that the quantum of Sorghums that Brewery needs for the next five years, the farmers in Sierra Leone cannot supply them for now as Brewery needs over five thousands metric tons of Sorghums.
According to Mr. Jusu, because of the demand of Sorghums outweighs the supply that is why they have embarked on the public education for the farmers to see the need to cultivate more sorghum.
He called on the Sorghums farmers to shift from subsistence farming to mechanize farming in order to realize the huge benefit of sorghum farming, as there is already a market for the product.
According to Mr. Jusu “Sorghums production is not a difficult task, pointing out that as long as you are a rice farmer you can cultivate sorghum equally by mix-cropping,’’ noting that it can be planted in the upland ecology during a rainfall climate and that they will one day reach to the era of irrigation .
He said that “with irrigation you can grow sorghum three times a year and this will help increase the livelihood of the farmers for the better.” He also stated that there is now short time variety of Sorghums of ninety days and longtime variety of six months.
Mr. Jusu said the people need to invest in agriculture, adding that he is master farmer in Sorghums and Rice production, with recognition from the Chief Minister Prof, David Francis.