The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security has supported farmers in Kenema district with five hundred (500) bags of fertilizers through the private sector.

On Sunday August 20th 2023, the District Director of Agriculture for Kenema received 500 hundreds bags of fertilizer from the Managing Director of Mangara Agribusiness Company Limited at a ceremony held at the IDA Compound Kenema.

Speaking at the event, ,the acting Deputy Chief Agriculture Officer, Aiah Joseph Thorle said the supply of fertilizers at this time shows government commitment to increase  agricultural productivity in the country. He assured the farmers that more support is on the way.

In her statement, the representative of the Food System Resilience Project (FSRP) Haja Myers said before this time they have paid for machines to support farmers for the land preparation.

She said they have supplied seed rice to farmers, adding that government is given the support to enable them grow the food they eat.

She appealed to farmers to do their best to enable them get a bumper harvest.

For her part, the  Managing Director of Mangara Agribusiness Company Limited, Sunkarie Sesay said she started operating in Kenema district seen 202. She said her Company started agricultural activities in 2021, adding that she worked with Evergreen Women in the district. She disclosed that Kenema came first in the country for the demonstration of farms.

Md. Sesay said feed Salone program should be a collective responsibility of everyone, and promised to  bring more fertilizers for farmers.

The Kenema District Coordinator for National Federation of Farmers of Sierra Leone, Safinatu Bockarie thanked the Ministry for the support. She lauded the President of the Federation Madam Yatta Sama for seeking the interest farmers.

She assured the ministry and Company for the proper utilization of the fertilizers.

Receiving the fertilizers on behalf of the farmers of Kenema district, the results oriented District Director of Agriculture Philip Gana Conteh alias TOK and DO said the Feed Salone flagship program of the government can only come to reality if everyone is on board.

He lauded the top management of the Ministry for the support to farmers, noting that for the past few months there have been questions from the farmers concerning the supply of fertilizers

He appealed to the supplier to quickly bring the remaining fertilizers so that every farmer will get, and assured the service provider that the fertilizers will be use for the right purpose.

He threatened to take legal action against any farmer who sells the fertilizer.

Mariama Kaloko of Unity Women’s and Agribusiness Enterprise encouraged farmers to register with the Federation and the Ministry for the support.