By Amin Kef Sesay
The Chief Minister will soon have his harvested rice on sale. It was unearthed that a total of 45 acres out of the 443 acres which was under cultivation is now ready for harvest. Known as the country’s current Rice Champion, Professor David Francis, is enthusiastic of becoming the first Sierra Leonean millionaire in dollars from Agriculture who has set a target of more than 1,000 hectares of development by 2021.
This move by the Chief Minister is in line with President Bio’s vision of reducing rice importation to 50% by 2023 and to promote food sufficiency in the country.
The Chief Minister is also set to harvest his cucumber yields from one of his gardens which will be followed by okra, pepper and garden eggs in the coming weeks.
He is commended for revealing that he is committed to enjoin others to come on board to push this country’s development trajectory. It will be recalled that President Bio proclaimed that all political class must engage in farming. Responding to that clarion call, the Chief Minister, Professor David J Francis as a technocrat, a doyen in academia and a leader leading by example decided to go into agriculture proper, in practicalizing the statement of the President in ensuring sufficient food production in Sierra Leone.
Professor David J Francis as the new rice champion in Sierra Leone said he is quite aware of our balance of payment aspect that has to do with import especially rice and the quantum of money used to import rice in Sierra Leone. On that note the Chief Minister engaged in hundreds of hectares of rice farming in small Bo Chiefdom, Kenema District.
The harvest was done and the rice has been packaged and ECO RICE is the brand as it is set to hit the market. The Chief Minister stated if we have many Sierra Leoneans investing in rice production then we will start eating what we produce as a nation.
