Stakeholders have toured coffee farms in five counties to supervise activities of farmers.
By Judoemue M. Kollie
Liberia, September 26, 2024 – The International Trade Centre (ITC) has concluded its field supervision of the EU/ACP Coffee Value Chain Project in Liberia.
The exercise, intended to ascertain the level of work beneficiaries are carrying out on establishing demo plots, covered five project-implementing counties, including Bong, Nimba, Lofa, Montserrado, and Bomi.
The ITC conducted the field visit alongside the Farmer Union Network of Liberia (FUNL), the local implementing partner, and the Cooperative Development Agency (CDA). EUD-Liberia earlier executed the field mission to sites in Montserrado County.
Beneficiaries are intercropping plantain and other food crops with coffee on the established demo sites. They will use the sites to acquire improved knowledge of coffee cultivation to replicate on individual farms or family farms.
The visit is a testament to the ITC’s commitment to revamping Liberia’s coffee subsector with funding from the European Union.
During the visit, farmers expressed willingness to work with the project to grow more coffee for livelihood income.
Some of the farmers stated that the ITC’s intervention has helped them to some extent to improve coffee farming. For many years, it has been very difficult to profit from coffee, which has caused many of them to abandon production.
While other farmers are new to coffee farming, some said they are going into the venture because coffee is a lifetime crop that can benefit their children. They are optimistic that coffee makes more money than other tree crops.
“The coffee is going to be profitable not only for me but for my children. We are happy for our recruitment into the program and look forward to more support to succeed,” said Makemeh J. Koneeh, a woman coffee farmer in Quadu Gboni, Lofa County. ”For the first time in more than two decades, the coffee market is now getting better, as we were able to sell our coffee for LRD600 to 800 per kg during the last harvest. Prior to the ITC’s intervention, we were selling coffee for LRD 150 to 200,” Madam Koneeh explained.
Leading the team during the visit was the National Project Coordinator of the EU ACP Business Friendly Coffee Value Chain project, Emmis Varney, who expressed the ITC’s unwavering commitment through the EU Funds in supporting farmers.
“The Project is here to support coffee farmers. This demonstration farm will be used to train you in coffee improvement techniques so that you can apply them on your own farms,” he said.
Mr. Varney disclosed that the ITC is expected to supply improved coffee seedling varieties for farmers to cultivate in the coming months.
The Deputy Registrar General of the CDA, Mrs. Edwina J. Boima, said that her institution will work with the ITC and all partners in the value chain to ensure that farming groups in the coffee sector are transformed into cooperatives.
She said that CDA is impressed with the work of the ITC and FUN in supporting the farmers.
“I am impressed with what I have seen on this trip, as I noticed that the farmers are very excited. We will work with the ITC and FUN to ensure that the farming groups are transformed into cooperatives very soon,” she said.
The country’s coffee subsector has suffered years of neglect. However, with the arrival of the EU/ACP Coffee Value Chain project, farmers are hopeful of a better future.
The ITC implements the project with FUNL, a member of the Association of Robusta Coffees of Africa and Madagascar (ACRAM), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Since the program’s inception in 2021, many farmers have benefited from improved coffee-growing techniques.
