By: Dadson A. Musa
The ministry that is charged with ensuring that Sierra Leone becomes food self- sufficient, Ministry of Agriculture And Food Security under the leadership of Henry Musa Kpaka has sets its agenda for the launch of the food security drive in the next five years. At a press briefing held on Friday, 13th October 2023 at the conference hall of the ministry which was chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Andrew Lawrence Sorie the minister sounded upbeat and Up- to – the – task.
The meeting was graced by the two deputy ministers, Sahr Hemor and Teresa Dick along with the senior ministry staff members. Giving an overview of the forthcoming World Food Day, the acting Deputy Chief Agriculture Officer said that the day is primarily about “how hunger is prevalent in the world and plans put in place to fight it”.
That this year’s day is going to be about making Sierra Leone “food self-sufficient That the day is about teaching us how to “liberate ourselves from the world’s hunger.”
In his keynote address the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka gave this year’s theme as “Water is Life and Water is Food. Leave No One Behind “. He went further to say that the food security drive “is number one on President Bio’s agenda for the next five years.” He reminded the gathering that water systems support food production and therefore encouraged all “to preserve those water systems in the country for future generations.”
Dr Kpaka said that no one group or individual is going to make this possible rather calls on “every tribe, region, gender and every political party to come on board and make it a success.” He reminded us that the twin shocks of COVID-19 and the Russian/Ukraine are indicators that “as a country, we must be food self-sufficient.”
The minister stressed that if other countries can do it then we can do it as a country. A short video clip was displayed in which President Bio was seen on his own farm from which he said we should “take the cue from the president on his farm.” He said that “rice importation in particular is going to be reduced every year by 20%.”
Other senior technical staff members weighed in and explained to us issues of climate change, irrigation systems and other components of the feed Salone project. That the feeder roads are going to be done to transform the rural communities. The minister rounded up by thanking the president for pledging to double the national budget for agriculture and capping it by another 10%.
He has been assured that money and resources are going to be made available to him on time