The Ministry of Agriculture Forestry and Food Security (MAFFS) over the weekend made a field visit to various agricultural production sites in Freetown and the Northern region of Sierra Leone.
During the field visit at the Sierra Akker food processing company limited at the Jui – Regent Road, Western Rural District, Freetown the MAFFS Public Relations Officer, Abubakarr S. Daramy said, “The people of Sierra Leone should make sure that when we go to the supermarket we should support local companies like Sierra Akker, local juice manufacturers and other locally produced products because once we start to support these companies by buying their products, these companies will grow and they would continue to provide jobs for our brothers and sisters and pay their tax to government…” and this would serve as a catalyst that would catapult development of the country. So if you happen to go to the supermarket or local market you can look for products package with the initials SA (Sierra Akker) in a blue and red packet. This is our local product,” Damramy emphasized.
Daramy further explained that Sierra Akker is a meat and chicken processing facility, which is an ultra-processing facility in which everything is automated. “This is a clear demonstration to show the strides we’ve made in the agricultural sector. We no longer slaughter chickens and cow like we use to it is now done in a fully automated controlled and hygienic facility, processed and package for wholesalers and retailers in supermarkets and markets.”
“For us in MAFFS this is a dream come true because these are the kind of facilities which they have in the develop world and we often admire…. now we have it in country this is something we need to take advantage of.
This shows that agriculture is moving forward there is a boost in production and productivity, and supporting and moving our local industries to the next level.”
Sierra Akker’s Operations Manager, Fredrick Abu Koroma explained if you taste the chicken and those imported there is a huge difference in terms of the taste. Ours is much tastier than the imported chickens. Speaking about the amount of chicken produced daily, he said it all depends on the demand of the market at minimal we produce 5,000 daily. Now we are working on retail points so that customers could easily access our products.
Fatu Dumbuya is a caterer also noted that since Sierra Akker started operations in Sierra Leone she could not recall the last time she bought imported chicken. “I am urging them to open more retail outlets especially when the holidays are fast approaching the demand is going to be huge,” she said.
OG/11/11/17
By Ophaniel Gooding
Tuesday November 14, 2017.
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