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By Judoemue M. Kollie
The International Trade Centre (ITC) has concluded its field supervision visit for the EU/ACP Coffee Value Chain Project in Liberia.
The visit which was intended to ascertain the level of work being carried out by beneficiaries on the establishment of demo plots covered the five project-implementing counties including, Bong, Nimba Lofa, Montserado, and Bomi.
The ITC conducted the field visit alongside the Farmer Union Network of Liberia (FUNL) the local implementing partner, and the Cooperative Development Agency (CDA). The field mission was earlier participated by the EUD-Liberia to sites in Montserrado County.
On the established demo sites, the beneficiaries are inter-cropping plantain and other food crops with the coffee. They will use the sites to acquire improved knowledge of coffee cultivation to replicate on individual farms/family farms.
The visit is a testament to the ITC’s commitment to revamping the coffee sub-sector of Liberia with funding from the European Union.
During the visit, farmers expressed their willingness to work to with the project to grow more coffee for livelihood incomes.
Some of the farmers stated that the intervention of the ITC has helped them to some extent to improve coffee farming as for many years it has been very difficult to profit from coffee, revealing that this caused many of them to abandon production.
Other farmers who are new in coffee farming said, they are going into the venture because coffee is a lifetime crop that can benefit their children, and believe that coffee makes more money as compared to other tree crops.
“The coffee is going to be profitable not only for me but for my children. We are happy for our recruitment into the program and we look forward to more support to succeed,” said Makemeh J. Koneeh, a woman coffee farmer in Quadu Gboni, Lofa County. ”For the first time in more than two decades, the coffee market is now getting better as we were able to sell our coffee for L$600 to 800 per kg, during the last harvest. “
“Before the ITC’s intervention, we were selling coffee for L$ 150-200,” she added.
Leading the team during the visit was the National Project Coordinator of the EU ACP Business Friendly Coffee Value Chain project. Emmis Varney expressed the ITC’s unwavering commitment through the EU Funds in supporting the farmers.
“The Project is here to support coffee farmers. This demonstration farm will be used to train you in coffee improvement techniques so that you can apply them on your farms,” the National Project Coordinator informed the farmers.
He said in the coming few months, the ITC is expected to supply improved coffee seedling varieties for the farmers to cultivate.
For her part, the Deputy Registrar General of the CDA, Mrs. Edwina J. Boima said that her institution will work with the ITC and all partners in the value chain to ensure that farming groups in the coffee sector are transformed into cooperatives.
She said that CDA is impressed with the work of the ITC and FUN to support the farmers.
“I am impressed for what I have seen on this trip as I noticed that the farmers are very much excited. We will work with the ITC and FUN to ensure that the farming groups are transformed into cooperatives very soon,” she said.
The coffee sub-sector of the country has suffered years of neglect. But, with the coming in of the EU/ACP Coffee Value Chain project, farmers have started to see a future.
The ITC implements the project with FUNL, which is a member of the Association of Robusta Coffees of Africa and Madagascar (ACRAM), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Since the inception of the program in 2021, many farmers have benefited from improved techniques of growing coffee.
