By Saio Marrah
The Chinese Government has donated a huge consignment of agricultural machinery to the Government of Sierra Leone to support farming initiatives in the country.
400 Mobile Rice Threshers, 400 Winnowers, 60 Rice Whiteners, 400 Cutters, 500 Rice Trans planters, 100 Chain Saws are among the equipment donated.
The advanced machinery also came along with technical experts to train Sierra Leonean on their use, according to State House Communications Unit.
Speaking at Ferry Junction in Freetown yesterday, President Julius Maada Bio who formally received the equipment, described the donation as a generous gesture from the Chinese government that will add to the existing agricultural machines in the country.
President Bio said they will be located at different strategic farming centres to serve farmers in rice producing areas of the country.
He disclosed that the Farm Service Centres will be located at Gbere Junction in Port Loko District to support farmers on 100,000 hectares of the rice bowl in Kambia, Port Loko, Tonkolili, Falaba and Koinadugu districts in the northern region. Another will be located in Bo that will serve 160,000 hectares of arable rice-producing areas in the Bo, Bonthe, Pujehun and Moyamba districts.
He said each of the machine service centres will also hold a training facility, mechanical workshop, store and administrative block.
Bio said they would also serve as aggregation centres for seeds, agrochemicals, and fertilisers with resident experts and extension workers.
“So, the idea is for farmers to interact with experts and acquire modern farming techniques, hire machines at least cost, and acquire managerial skills. But more critical is the skills transfer component that will be available on demand to farmers, “the president pointed out.
He said it has been part of his vision to transform the agricultural ecosystem and ensure introduction of large-scale mechanisation closer to farm sites.
He said they should also be made accessible and affordable for rural farmers eager to expand their small holdings, and to support the private sector that is determined to commercialise their production scales.
The Minister of Agriculture, Abubakarr Karim, said with the donated machinery, other resources and technical expertise, they are reinforcing mechanisation, one of the main foundations for lasting change in the agricultural sector.
He said: “these donations and support system will strongly contribute to loosening Sierra Leone’s over-dependence on rudimentary forms of agriculture, which, almost without exception, permanently keep our farmers in the poverty trap of subsistence agriculture.”
Karim noted that with funds from government, they had been able to support the private sector with more than 400 agricultural machines and implements for farmers in all fifteen agricultural districts of the country, through the Machine Rings System.
He pointed out that this is the second year of agriculture safety net support, alongside the provision of quality inputs and agro-chemicals, is which are being channelled through the private sector-led E-Voucher platform.
According to him, those combined policies and actions have had significant results on intensive rice production at community level.
Chargé de affaires, at the Chinese Embassy in Freetown, Li Xiaoyong, said his government had worked closely with the people and government of Sierra Leone, particularly in the agriculture and food sector to promote sustainable agricultural systems.
“The Chinese support of machinery is another help for the modernisation of agriculture in the country. The farming machinery will also help farmers increase their agricultural produce,” he said.
Li assured that China stands ready to support food security in Sierra Leone and around the world
Copyright (c) 2022 Politico Onlin3 (02/11/22)
