October 21, 2021
BY PROBLYN J. ALPHA
“At least Fifty Million Dollars ($50,000,000) bank loan facility is now available for agricultural activities in the country”, this is according to the Vice President of the Republic of Sierra Leone Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh.
He made the pronouncement when officially opening this year’s world food day celebration held at the Ansarul Islamic Boys Secondary School grounds in Koidu City Kono District.
He said the Fifty Million Dollars ($ 50,000,000) bank loan facility is allocated to improve on food production Chain in the country with only seven percent interest for the bank.
Dr. Juldeh intimated the audience that food production is his government priority and as a result an agricultural transformation programme to introduce private sector, mechanisation, private sector participation and mechanic chain network control has been established in order to encourage the Agricultural sector.
He maintained that with all the challenges faced in the agricultural sector the country is one of the cheapest for food in West Africa this he said is as a result of his government reducing taxes for some certain food items like flour which does no longer have GST.
“My government has at least imported four Hundred (400) tractors first in the history of the country. This is because over the years the Covid-19 pandemic has seriously affected food security and as a responsible government we are fighting tooth and nail to cushion the problem of food, nothing prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic the cost to import rice and other basic commodities was cheap but owing to the Pandemic it is the opposite” Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh opined. He said the objective of hosting the celebration in Kono District was to change the mining narratives of the District to that of agriculture.
On the challenges expressed by farmers all over the country the Vice president of the Republic of Sierra Leone assured all present that his government will always promote the local content policy so that farmers will benefit from their farming products.
He said government will do all in its power to strengthen the supply chain and post-harvest in order to access storage, processing and transportation facilities to maintain a healthy market.
The vice president maintained that his government is more than ready to invest in food production capacity building for sustainable development and political stability in the country and therefore urged all and sundry especially farmers to put hands on deck for the realization of his government’s vision.
