By Lewis S. Teh
Monrovia, Liberia; July 18, 2025 – The Acting Director General of the Liberia Agricultural Commodities Regulatory or LACRA, Dan T. Saryee, starts the ball rolling here, engaging key stakeholders within the sector.
Mr. Saryee said his outreach efforts is mainly focused on building collaboration and introducing a new vision for the Agency. Recently, Acting Director General Saryee completed a three-day tour of Bong and Nimba Counties, where he met with local farmers and buyers.
The visits provided him with first-hand information on challenges faced by those on the frontlines of the cocoa value chain. On Tuesday, July 15, Mr. Saryee held another high-level meeting, this time with representatives from Global Tracking Maritimes (GTM) and APM Terminals.
The purpose of the meeting was to introduce the new LACRA team, explore collaborative opportunities, and, more importantly, to shed light on LACRA’s new compliance standards for shipping.
The new standard tends to dismantle faulty and conflicting shipping regimes, streamline documentation requirements, and information sharing.
“We called this meeting to introduce the new team now running the entity and to seek your collaboration in making our work easy and successful,” Mr. Saryee stated.
He further noted that the meeting was intended to outline key reform measures the new administration has instituted, including new compliance requirements for the shipment of cocoa and coffee beans from Liberia.
During the meeting, the Acting Director General announced LACRA’s plan to launch a new mobile application that connects all stakeholders in the value chain, enhancing transparency, traceability, and quality assurance.
This system aims to enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the agricultural commodity sector, providing real-time tracking and monitoring of products.
By ensuring that quality and safety standards are met, the new system will improve trust and credibility among all stakeholders, including exporters, LACRA, APM Terminals, and GTMs.
Representatives from both GTMs and APM Terminals welcomed the initiative and expressed their commitment to working closely with LACRA to ensure the successful implementation of the traceability system.
The Liberian Agricultural Commodities Regulatory Authority (LACRA) is mandated by Liberian law to regulate all agricultural trade within the country.
This includes overseeing the production, quality control, and export of key agricultural commodities, particularly cocoa, coffee, and oil palm.
LACRA’s responsibilities encompass setting and enforcing standards to ensure that these products meet both national and international quality requirements. Editing by Jonathan Browne
