Agriculture Ministry, Bank Executives Hold Meeting.

Agriculture Minister Dr. Mogana S. Flomo, Jr., met with senior executives of the Central Bank of Liberia and managers of commercial banking institutions at his office in Gardnersville on Thursday April 11, 2019.  The top banking executive meeting with the Agriculture Minister was centered on local, household and smallholder holder farmers, producers and processors how they can get loans from commercial banks to enhance the operations.

Dr. Flomo in the meeting reiterated calls of President Dr. George Manneh Weah’s Pro-Poor Agenda for Prosperity and Development Pillar ll and the National Agriculture Investment Plan to all well-meaning Liberians and household farmers to go back to the soil and grow more food to feed ourselves (the nation).  This means the banking institutions should also get involved in the loan scheme to our farmers.

Minister Flomo however said we (meaning government) want the banks to give us (farmers) some money to jump-start our activities while we await our donors who have committed themselves to supporting farmers can get ready and come on board. He went on further to say that our farming (planting) seasons have duration which are far from donor funding calendar, we have ignored in time past.

Mr. Mohamed V. Kamara, Chief Executive of Agriculture Investment and Infrastructure Company (AIIC), a local rice farming group based in Foya, Lofa County, thanked the Minister of Agriculture for hosting such a meeting that highlights the plights of farmers. Narrating some of his disappointment with banking institutions Mr. Kamara said, he finds it more difficult to dispose collaterals since more of the banks are not in the hinterland where farming is ongoing.  Mr. Kamara said some of his colleague farmers have collaterals far from where they are farming.