AGRICULTURE MINISTER SEEKS US$69 MILLION IN 2027 NATIONAL BUDGET TO STRENGTHEN FARMER SUPPORT, BOOST FOOD PRODUCTION
MONROVIA, LIBERIA — October 6, 2026: Agriculture Minister Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah is seeking US$69 million for the Ministry of Agriculture in the 2027 National Budget, citing a major shortage of frontline agricultural technicians and the need to expand direct support to farmers across Liberia.
The Minister said the country requires about 436 agricultural technicians to adequately serve its 109 agricultural districts, but currently has only 138, leaving a significant gap in extension services at a time when the Government is pushing to increase domestic food production.
Speaking during a live radio interview in Monrovia on Monday, October 5, Minister Nuetah said strengthening the Ministry’s field presence is critical to improving farmer productivity and increasing domestic food production.
“I am proposing US$69 million for the Ministry of Agriculture in the 2027 National Budget,” Minister Nuetah said. “We have 109 agriculture districts. Each district needs four agriculture technicians. That will be 436.”
He said the requested allocation would help strengthen the Ministry’s workforce, expand technical support to farmers and address other critical needs across the agriculture sector.
The US$69 million represents the Ministry’s budget request and remains subject to the national budget process.
The request comes as the Government implements the National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP), also known as the Liberians Feed Yourselves Agenda, with emphasis on increasing domestic food production, improving productivity and strengthening agricultural value chains.
Minister Nuetah also highlighted developments across several agricultural value chains, including rubber, rice, cassava, cocoa, coffee and oil palm.
He said the rubber sector has experienced a significant improvement in prices following the issuance of Executive Order 166 by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai. According to the Minister, raw rubber is now selling at approximately US$950 per metric ton, compared with about US$540 per metric ton previously.
He said the improvement is helping rubber farmers receive greater returns for their production and labor.
On cassava, Minister Nuetah highlighted the construction of a major processing facility in Weala, Margibi County, which is expected to produce starch and other cassava-based products. He said the investment will help strengthen the cassava value chain by creating processing and market opportunities for producers.
The Minister also pointed to renewed investment in Liberia’s coffee sector, including a partnership with JR Farms Group, a multinational agribusiness company with experience in coffee production, processing and international trade, to establish coffee nurseries and expand production.
Under the initiative, coffee seedlings are expected to be distributed to farmers to establish and expand their own farms, creating opportunities for smallholder participation in Liberia’s emerging coffee industry.
Minister Nuetah said prospects are equally encouraging across the rice, cocoa and oil palm value chains, as the Government works with farmers, private investors and development partners to increase production and strengthen agricultural value chains.
While outlining the Government’s interventions, Minister Nuetah emphasized that Liberia’s agricultural transformation will ultimately depend on farmers taking advantage of the opportunities being created and expanding production.
“Agriculture is the people’s way of life,” he said, stressing that progress in the sector requires the determination and active participation of farmers.
He encouraged Liberian farmers to move beyond subsistence production where possible and take advantage of opportunities for larger-scale and commercially oriented farming.
The Government’s National Agriculture Development Plan provides the broader framework for increasing domestic food production, strengthening agricultural value chains, expanding private-sector participation and reducing Liberia’s dependence on imported food.
The Ministry’s US$69 million budget request for 2027 is intended to help translate those priorities into stronger agricultural services and expanded support for farmers across the country.
— END —
