As part of his ‘Feed Salon’ regional stakeholders’ engagement districts tour, the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Dr. Musa Kpakra has visited two facilities of grantees funded by the Smallholer Commercialization And Agribusiness Development Project (SCADeP) under its Agribusiness Services Marching Grant (ASMG) scheme in Kono.
The visit was to get a firsthand feel of the outcome of SCADeP’s interventions. The Minister first visited the Yormata Youth Agricultural Development Organization at Tombodu in the Kamara chiefdom where he was taken on a tour at the Yormata farm facility. Dr. Musa Kpakra who was taken around the building constructed by SCADeP was also able to see One Thousand Two Hundred chickens that were supplied to the group as day old chicks about eight weeks ago.
He also saw a demonstration of the feed mill processing equipment’s provided by SCAdeP and the World Food Program (WFP) which enables the group produce its own feed for their chickens. In the same vein, the group which has gone further to innovate some technologies showed the honorable minister an incubator built by the group to hatch eggs.
The major highlights of the visit to the Yomata Agricultural Youth Development Organization farm was the demonstration of an auto smart irrigation system developed by the organization’s Lead innovator Engineer Osman Yaah. The system is automated by mobile phone calls with designated numbers that simultaneously turn the system on and off when dialed. Mr, Yaah said he first created the system from scraps but with funding received from the Sierra Leone Economic Diversification Fund (SLEDP) which provided a $ 15,000 grant matched with $ 10,000 by the group, they were able to develop a 10 kilowatts solar powered irrigation system using a water system that was provided by the Smallholder commercialization and Agribusiness Development Project to produce vegetables throughout the cropping seasons.
Aiah Emmaanuel Gborie Program Officer of the Yormata Agricultural Youth Organization explained the support received from SCADeP which has transformed their lives and are now attracting supports from various quarters. He said they were provided with a poultry house by SCADeP which currently hosts about One Thousand Two Hundred Chickens which was further provided for them by SCADeP to boost their activities. He also explained that the feed mill provided by SCADeP which later attracted a bigger Mill from WFP now enables them to sufficiently produce their own feed. He also revealed that the group has received many trainings form SCADeP on business development and management that has greatly strengthened their capacity.
In a similar vein, the minister also visited the Kasiatama Cocoa Cooperative warehouse at Sinah Terrace in Koidu town. There, the Chairman of the Kasiatama Cooperative Mr. komba Issa explained to the honorable minister that as part of SCADeP’s support to them, they were also provided with a warehouse at Kayima in the Sandor Chiefdom. He mentioned that they were also provided with cocoa solar drying stands which enable them dry their cocoa beans year round. He narrated that they also received moisture meters, calculators, scales, bean cutters and other trading materials which has greatly improved their capacity to improve standards and get more value for their cocoa beans.
Mr. Gborie spoke of trainings received from SCADeP that has changed the way they now approach the cocoa business. He further revealed that the Kassiatama Cocoa Cooperative use to produce about 75 metric tons of cocoa beans but after the SCADeP intervention, they now produce over 201 metric tons of quality cocoa beans which they now sell to two big players in the cocoa subsector in the country that is, Tradin Ltd. and the Akuna Cocoa Company limited who buy from them to export. He noted that they are now part of three certification systems which also attracts premiums with which they have been undertaking development projects, educational and other competitive schemes for their farmers and field agents.