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The Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA) is said to be in need of about US$5 million to revamp its activities across the country.
The Director General, Hon. Christopher D. Sankolo, in an interview with reporters in Ganta on September 30, 2024, stated that the funds are needed to enhance the entity and restore it beyond the capacity of the defunct Liberia Produce Marketing Corporation (LPMC).
Hon. Sankolo explained that the entity is doing everything within its reach to ensure that all of LACRA’s activities get back on track.
“We want to rehabilitate all our facilities across the country and build new ones where we don’t have any, to make both the cocoa and coffee industries viable,” he said.
LACRA, in partnership with Grow, launched a two-day cocoa quality training for some temporary staff, which began on September 30 and concluded on October 1, 2024.
Hon. Sankolo described the participants as ‘temporary staff’ who were recruited due to the government’s moratorium on employment. They will serve as agents at various border points to stop the smuggling of Liberian cocoa and coffee.
“These temporary staff are being trained to expand our operations because we observed that our cocoa and coffee are being smuggled to Guinea and Ivory Coast. Additionally, leftover Ivorian cocoa is brought into Liberia and shipped under our management,” he said.
“We don’t want our best cocoa or coffee going to Guinea or Ivory Coast because they will benefit from the loyalty if they export through their systems,” he explained.
“Upon completion of this two-day training, these temporary staff will be deployed immediately,” he added.
“We want the cocoa and coffee industries to be viable, even beyond the pre-war status of the defunct Liberia Produce Marketing Corporation,” he noted.
Hon. Christopher D. Sankolo, accompanied by his Deputy for Operations and Technical Services, Godia Alpha Gongolee, stated that LACRA is anticipating distributing about 6,000 cocoa and coffee seedlings to farmers across the country to increase productivity.
According to him, about 107,000 tons of coffee were exported through LACRA’s management this year. He noted that the figure is very low, and the agency expects this number to increase significantly within the next three to four years.
“‘Coffee Liberica’ is now recognized as the best coffee in the world market, and it is our very own Liberian coffee. Its taste surpasses all other coffee varieties, and we are working to ensure that coffee farming booms again,” said Hon. Gongolee, Deputy Director for Operations and Technical Services.
Hon. Sankolo clarified that LACRA is currently collecting US$100 per ton in loyalty fees from cocoa and coffee exporters, an increase from the previous US$10.
He explained that management made this decision because the price of cocoa has risen significantly on the world market, and US$10 was insufficient to cover office expenses.
“Previously, LPMC collected US$50 per ton in loyalty fees from exporters when the price of cocoa was not as high as it is now,” he said.
Regarding the ongoing training, Hon. Sankolo mentioned that, with the help of Ghanaian facilitators, participants are being trained in best fermentation practices, drying methods for cocoa, storage management, harvesting techniques, and other important aspects of the industry.
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