Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Sam Sesay at Ogoo Farm yesterday expressed satisfaction with work done by the Chinese Agricultural Team in their trials with Watermelon, Long Beans and Cucumber in the community.
The Minister said the test planting they performed lasted for two months and it has been extremely successful. He noted that the Chinese are the best in the world for agricultural techniques and that they are cheap.
Dr. Sesay said it was good that the people of Ogoo Farm protect the swamps from land grabbers because what he has seen will definitely improve their lives because they will be able to cultivate the crop three times a year.
The Chinese Economic Counsellor, Zao Xiaoming said he too was happy for the project as it is one of three in the country. The other projects are being implemented in Bo and Kenema districts. He said the relationship between China and Sierra Leone has been very good which is why when the government of Sierra Leone approached its Chinese counterpart for agricultural support, the Chinese immediately put a team together to address their request.
The Economic Counsellor said because of this success story, they will bring in more experts to start rice cultivation in the coming planting season. He said they want to help the government achieve the goals set in the Agenda for Prosperity which is aimed at improving the lives of the citizens.
He thanked the Agricultural team for their relentless work and also promised the Minister that they will do more for these three projects by increasing the acreages and the yields.
The Chairman of the Ogoo Farm community, Abdulai Kamara said the Chinese were a wonderful people and that since their arrival in the community they have been helping them properly utilize their swamps. He appealed to the Agriculture Minister to do more for them and assured to ensure the protection of the farming lands from land grabbers and encroachers.
He said they will heed to the Minister’s advice as they will make sure they plant three times yearly. He thanked the Chinese and appealed to them for more help. He said there are more women than men in their community and that all of them are working for the development of the community.
Minister Sam Sesay was then taken on a conducted tour of cultivated plot of land for him to perform the first harvest. With high spirit, the Minister harvested the biggest Watermelon weighing approximately 16 Pounds. He said the harvest shows how productive the project will be in the future as the Chinese Hybrid Team are doing all they can to help capacitate the farmers for a better future.The Economic Counselor too performed a very good harvest and said he was happy to be part of an epoch-making event that will ultimately transform the lives of the people of Ogoo Farm.
In a related development, the Chinese Agricultural Team showed a farmer they are working with in the Ogoo Farm community, Pa Yambasu. He is planting corn for the second time in the year. He has planted two types of corn, which are the yellow specie we have in Sierra Leone and the hybrid that is coming from China.
He said he was happy to have learnt from the Chinese Team how to utilize his land more than once a year.
Friday May 09, 2014