Boosting certified rice seed production efforts in Liberia: AfricaRice trains 35 community-based enterprises

As part of national strategies to lead certified rice seed production and scaling in Liberia, 35 seed growers from Bong, Lofa, Margibi, Montserrado, and Nimba counties have been trained in rice seed production and quality assurance. AfricaRice, lead of the EU-funded Seeds4Liberia project, conducted the training in partnership with the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI) and the Seeds Development and Certification Agency (SDCA) in Bong County, Liberia.  

The training focused on enhancing participants' understanding of best practices for rice quality seed production and seed certification principle, thereby solidifying Liberia’s journey toward a self-reliant rice sector.  

The country’s journey toward a self-reliant rice sector and agricultural prosperity is one marked by numerous challenges. One major challenge is the country’s informal seed systems – saturation of poor-quality seeds, and limited monitoring and regulation of the seed market, affecting rice sector performance in the country.   Additionally, output of locally grown rice is substantially below the global average yield of 3.9 mt/ha.  Of the 809,000 tonnes of rice Liberia reportedly consumed in 2021, only 174,000 tonnes, about 21%, were locally produced, making the country heavily reliant on external producers to meet its food needs. 

 However, the country has activated national development strategies to reduce its reliance on imports to 70% by 2030. Donor partners’ projects, such as the EU-funded Seeds4Liberia, are supporting national development strategies, including the Liberia National Rice Development Strategy II, to foster a more vibrant rice seed sector. 

The EU-funded Seeds4Liberia project aims to enhance the value chains of rice, cassava, coffee, soybeans, and fish by addressing challenges such as human capacity development and the lack of certified seed. It focuses on strengthening farmers' capacities, private seed enterprises, and government agencies, delivering significant quantities of certified seeds and quality fingerlings throughout their lifespan.  

Key voices, including Hon. Solomon C. Hedd-Williams, Deputy Minister for Technical Services at the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) Dr. Walter Wiles, Deputy Director General at the Central Agricultural Research Institutes (CARI) and Mr. Jobson Momo, Director General, Seeds Development and Certification Agency (SDCA) all underscored the importance of quality seeds for agricultural prosperity, referencing development partners’ contributions to the operationalization of the SDCA.  

New AfricaRice’s Country Representative to Liberia, Moustapha Gaye, admonished seed growers to make the most of the training opportunity but also cautioned that their poor performance could undermine efforts toward Liberia’s seed systems development. 

“I can tell you that the availability of quality seeds is possible, and you can make it. I have seen people who never produced seeds in their lives, and now they are mega producers in countries like Senegal and Mali. In fact, they are also exporting seeds. So yes, this feat is possible in Liberia, and AfricaRice is with you in this journey,” Moustapha Gaye addressing participants.  “But shortcuts are not prohibited. I have also seen end users lose interest in certified seeds because some producers cheated the process by bagging grains into certified labeled bags. This will cause users to lose interest in the seeds you are producing. Once they lose faith, they won’t buy again.  Therefore, you have a huge responsibility to produce responsibly for the sake of the market and the image of Liberia. Once again, AfricaRice and partners will be with you along this journey.” 

The event concluded with a field visit to the project’s multilocational rice trial site, where participants observed 10 upland rice varieties under trial in different ecologies in Liberia.  They interacted with the rice lines, observed the different traits, including the presence of aroma, tillering ability, height, and grains. The exercise was part of demonstrations of AfricaRice's commitment to building a resilient and self-reliant rice sector in Liberia through collaborative efforts with donor partners and Government ministries and agencies.     

AfricaRice, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) , and WorldFish are implementing the EU-funded Seeds4Liberia in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI),  National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA), and the Liberia Agricultural Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA).