By: R-Joe Ks; joefineboy2017@gmail.com
Farmers in Juarzon Statutory District and its surrounding towns and villages are calling on the Ministry of Agriculture for inclusion, by prioritizing every Farmer Base Organizations, Community Base Organizations and or recognized cooperatives across the country.
The farmers noted that Sinoe and other counties in the Southeast are heavily involved in the planting of cassava, considering its as Liberia second staple food and it value addition on for the world market, and so they plant it at the level of every rice farm they made each year; adding that despite the challenge
in processing cassava to it value addition, they are not weary in plant cassava every year because it takes longer time in the ground before decaying, compare to rice.
The call came as a result of an interactive change between local cassava farmers in the county and representatives of the National Cassava Sector Coordinating Committee (NCSCC), through the Sinoe County Management Team (S-CMT). The farmers told reports that they feel marginalized in their communities when every year they are involved with the production of cassava, especially with the coordination of the National Cassava Sector Coordinating Committee through it County Management Team in the county; citing that national government and partners should join hands in providing the needed supports for cassava, especially in the southeast, such county like Sinoe.
The farmers narrated that since the NCSCC begin working with cassava farmers in Sinoe, the number of cassava farmers had
increase over the years but only few who have benefited from the NCSCC program which they said, is far less than half of the expected number of cassava farmers in the county; adding that, Sinoe has several government and donor funding projects implementers in the county but they are not reaching out to remoted areas but only sit in Greenville create and sent reports that they can’t justify when there are good number of cassava farmers producing cassava in other part of the county pointing to Juarzon as a case studies for cassava production on the increase.
They furthered noted that, since last year the NCSCC County Management Team, begin mobilizing farmers in various towns and communities, encouraging them to unite and work in group, as it’s the easy way to benefit from donor or government projects.
But some of the farmers expressing said, for the past years they were encouraging to make big farms because government, through the NCSCC was going to help them, but up to present
they are yet to realized that help citing that there is enough cassava in every community that need to be processed and marketed but there is a challenge beyond their control that can’t be handle without national assistance, and if that is handle, we the farmers are still willing to produce more cassava” said one of the farmer.
Speaking to our correspondent in the county, farmers in Juarzon narrated that, every year they made cassava farm as a backup to their rice farm but they are not being included interns of providing assistance to support their production, alleging that those charged with the responsibility to identify or recognized farmers are being selective.
According to the farmers, there are individuals who done have farm but because of their connection to those in charge of donors and government projects, they select farmers base on their connection without any merit.
The farmers noted that cassava is the country second staple food and it has other food and none food applications that can be made from cassava so they believe in producing the product every year, adding that rice has long time to mature and ready for harvest but unlike cassava, it’s easy to manage it production; but said the major challenge they are face with in the production of cassava is processing and road connectivity from farm to market to help them get some cash from the cassava farming.
The farmers use the medium to called on the NCSCC through its county management team to ensure equal distribution of whatever is meant for every cassava farmer across the country and avoid the practice of being selective; adding that the county, Sinoe has the potential to produce more cassava.
Visited 1 times, 1 visit(s) today
