By: Ilyasa Baa
The $34 million Tormabum Rice Project, according to the Project Manager, Abdulai Bun Wai will be realised in the next twelve months when the rice will be available in the market for Sierra Leoneans to consume.
Bun Wai was reacting to what he described as sensational headlines to down play progress made since the launching of the the Islamic Development Bank and BADEA sponsored project in 2021. He said $4 million out of the $5 million received so far from the Islamic Development Bank have been utilised on infrastructure having built the warehouses and the mills for mass production of our staple food.
He informed that BADEA as one of the funding partners, is now coming in with the resources to do the actual rice value added chain which will come into effect in twelve months’ time. “Absolutely the rice will be in the markets in the next twelve months”, he confirmed, adding that the next twenty four months, it will be different with the irrigation and roads construction in place to boost productivity.
On the project ground, a lot of things have been done. The machines have been installed and positioned to do large scale areas when the actual production commences.
Our dependence on the importation of rice to feed Sierra Leone will be addressed in the medium and long term with the success of the Tarmabun rice programme and the involvement of the private sector which is already encouraged to partake.
The Tormabun Rice Project is being supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture but operates separately with its own systems and procedures.