=COMMENTARY=
Monty Jones Thinking Out of The Box!
It is very encouraging to note that ever since he assumed the office of Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Prof. Monty Jones has emphasized on Sierra Leone attaining food self-sufficiency before we can even remotely think about exporting food.
The logic is simple. If you cannot adequately feed yourself, what hope do you have of feeding others? It is for this reason why Prof. Jones immediately toured farms and farm groups across the country. His message was to encourage the farmers not to sell the little produce they grow to people in neighboring countries, as a first step of ensuring food self-sufficiency in their environs.
Furthermore, food sufficiency in Sierra Leone is feasible because according to Prof. Jones when women and youths are involved in big agricultural projects and are well equipped with modern farm implements, seedlings and other paraphernalia, the result would be vast increase of produce which could then be sold to consumers and perhaps several years of this would see Sierra Leone capably able to feed her millions of people.
That notwithstanding, it is encouraging to realize that the government is putting a lot of financial and logistical resources into agriculture in Sierra Leone. It is hoped that these resources would be used judiciously and sparingly for maximum benefit and impact.
The new Minister of Agriculture looks poised to ensure that Sierra Leone gets on the road to food sufficiency in the short term rather than in the long term.
This is why we political and social analysts believe that no effort should be spared by the government and its allies to ensure that everything and everything is done which would see Sierra Leone rising from a starving nation to one which can adequately feed itself and export the spare to others in need around Africa.
The task looks daunting but is not insurmountable according to the new Agriculture Minister, Prof. Monty Jones. So, in order to supplement and support his vision and notion, farmers around the country should do as he says and not sell food to other countries without first ensuring they first are able and capable of feeding themselves.
After all, it is said: ‘Charity begins at home and if we cannot feed ourselves, how much more can we feed others?
What remains to be seen now is whether the farmers in the above-mentioned areas would rally to Prof. Monty Jones’ clarion call for a bigger push in the agriculture sector to be made by farmers and all others engaged in this sector. It is only through massive collaboration and cooperation would we as a nation has any hope of rising above the starvation line to that of adequately being able and capable of feeding our nation. Unless, we can do this, the other aspects of development would simply be a mirage or in the pipeline.
-Credit:-The Trumpet Newspaper
