The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has pledged its commitment to the development of agriculture in Liberia.
According to the Mission Director of USAID in Liberia, Anthony S.Chan, enhancing the role of agriculture in fostering economic development and poverty reduction in Liberia has long been a centrepiece of the United States government’s development assistance to Liberia.
Chan made the statement on Wednesday at the launch of Feed the Future Liberia, Agribusiness Development Activity (LADA) held in Monrovia suburb of Sinkor.
He noted that most of Liberia’s poor make their living from agriculture or agriculture related activities, noting that improvements in agricultural growth and productivity can have a direct and pronounced impact on poverty reduction in Liberia by increasing rural incomes and improving food security for the poor.
He stressed that it is significant to improve agricultural production, noting that the resultant increase in farmers’ income can lead to
increased demand for consumer goods and services, which spur broad-based growth and job creation in the non-agriculture sector.
Chan emphasized that there was need to develop rice, cassava and vegetable value chains through making productivity enhancing technologies and post-harvest services to farmers and link producers to markets.
He indicated that the feed the future Liberia agribusiness development activity being launched will play its part in achieving the Feed The Future goal in Liberia.
He added that it would increase private sector investment and commercial finance in the agribusiness sector and expand commercially sustainable linkages between input suppliers, producers and post-harvest enterprise.
