NATIONAL NEWS
SUAKOKO – The Director General of the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA), Christopher D. Sankolo, accompanied by Deputy Director General for Operations and Technical Services, Alpha K. Gongolee, on Wednesday joined senior government officials, development partners, and key stakeholders at the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) in Suakoko, Bong County, for the symbolic handover of improved seeds and agricultural equipment under the Seeds4Liberia Project.
By: Gegee Brima
The handover marks a significant milestone in Liberia’s agricultural transformation agenda and underscores ongoing efforts to strengthen the country’s seed systems, improve farmer productivity, and develop resilient agricultural value chains.
Strengthening Liberia’s Seed Systems
The Seeds4Liberia Project is a flagship agricultural development initiative funded by the European Union (EU).
It seeks to strengthen Liberia’s seed systems and boost agricultural productivity by supporting the production of high-quality planting materials and promoting sustainable agricultural value chains.
The project is implemented by AfricaRice in partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), WorldFish, and several Liberian government institutions, including LACRA.
Supporting Key Agricultural Value Chains
The initiative focuses on five priority agricultural value chains that are considered critical to Liberia’s food security and economic development: Rice, Cassava, Coffee, Soybean and Aquaculture.
These sectors are expected to enhance food production, create employment opportunities, and contribute to the country’s long-term agricultural growth.
Reviving Liberia’s Indigenous Coffee Liberica
Under the coffee component of the project, IITA is working closely with LACRA to revive Coffee Liberica, Liberia’s indigenous coffee species, which is gaining increasing recognition and demand on the international market.
Through this partnership, LACRA and IITA have distributed more than 600,000 Coffee Liberica seedlings to farmers in Bong, Lofa, Nimba, Montserrado, and Bomi counties.
The initiative forms part of a broader national effort to expand domestic coffee production and improve Liberia’s competitiveness in the global coffee industry.
Sankolo Urges Liberians to Invest in Coffee Production
Speaking during the ceremony, LACRA Director General Christopher D. Sankolo encouraged Liberians to embrace Coffee Liberica cultivation as a practical means of increasing household income and reducing poverty.
“Liberians should grow Coffee Liberica because it has the potential to transform livelihoods and reduce poverty across many households.
The world is demanding Coffee Liberica; we simply need to increase our production and take advantage of this growing market,” Director General Sankolo said.
He reaffirmed LACRA’s commitment to revitalizing Liberia’s coffee sector through strong collaboration with development partners and farming communities by providing technical support, quality planting materials, and farmer capacity-building programs.
Gongolee Recognized for Technical Leadership
During the event, Deputy Director General Alpha K. Gongolee, who serves as LACRA’s Chief Technical Focal Person for the Seeds4Liberia Project, received special recognition from Dr. Ranjana Bhattacharjee, IITA Coffee Lead for the project, for his outstanding technical leadership in establishing coffee nurseries and overseeing the successful distribution of seedlings across targeted counties.
Following the ceremony, Mr. Gongolee expressed gratitude to Director General Sankolo for the confidence reposed in him to lead LACRA’s technical implementation of the coffee component.
“I am grateful to Director General Christopher D. Sankolo for the trust and confidence he has placed in me to coordinate LACRA’s technical contribution to this important initiative. This achievement is the result of teamwork and the strong collaboration between LACRA, IITA, and our development partners,” Gongolee said.
He further disclosed that while IITA initially produced and supplied approximately 400,000 Coffee Liberica seedlings, LACRA complemented the effort by producing an additional 300,000 seedlings, bringing the total number of seedlings produced and distributed under the initiative to nearly 700,000.
The ceremony reaffirmed the Government of Liberia’s commitment, with support from the European Union and international development partners, to advancing sustainable agriculture through improved seed systems, enhanced farmer productivity, and the development of resilient agricultural value chains.
Through its continued partnership with IITA and other stakeholders, LACRA remains committed to reviving Liberia’s indigenous Coffee Liberica, creating new income opportunities for farmers, and positioning the country to meet the growing global demand for its unique coffee variety.
