Agric Min urges: “agriculture research to be moved downstream”

The minister of Agriculture, Dr Joseph Sesay, has stated that agriculture research should be taken downstream.
Speaking to stakeholders at the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research (SLARI) strategic planning meeting at the Kimbima Hotel in Freetown, the minister declared an agricultural policy-shift.
He noted that agriculture should look beyond hunger and poverty, but should serve as an engine for socio-economic growth.
The minister explained that, “our farmers sub-exist” and the reason for their sub-existence was because “they cannot produce enough to feed themselves.”
He threw light on the factors of production, land, labour, capital, and production. “We have left the farmers to shifting cultivation, [but there are several other areas to explore] we need to look at irrigation, the minister said.Dr Sesay pointed out that Sierra Leone had a comparative advantage to produce rice and export it.