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By: Wilmot Konah
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Suakoko, Bong County – Ivorian agricultural technician and cocoa farming specialist, Alex Kassi, has called on Liberian farmers to prioritize investment in cocoa production, highlighting the crop’s immense potential to improve livelihoods and boost national revenue.
Speaking during an engagement with farmers in Suakoko, Kassi described cocoa as a globally demanded cash crop with multiple benefits, including economic, health, and environmental advantages. He urged farmers, agricultural stakeholders, and policymakers in Liberia to focus on expanding cocoa cultivation.
“Cocoa offers several benefits—financial stability, health improvements, and even environmental beautification. Liberians must redirect their agricultural focus towards cocoa production,” Kassi emphasized.
Drawing on his extensive experience in Ivory Coast—the world’s leading cocoa producer—Kassi noted that cocoa farming has transformed the economic landscape there.
“In Ivory Coast, many farmers have become wealthy through strategic investments in tree crops like cocoa,” he said, encouraging Liberian farmers to transition from traditional subsistence farming to more commercially driven agriculture.
Kassi pointed out that Liberia’s fertile soil provides an excellent environment for cocoa cultivation.
“The soil in Liberia is rich in nutrients, ideal for cocoa farming. With proper investment and management, cocoa planted here will thrive and deliver strong yields,” he added.
In support of this vision, Kassi is currently facilitating the distribution of over 400,000 cocoa seedlings to farmers in the Suakoko District, aiming to jumpstart local cocoa farming initiatives.
His efforts align with Liberia’s National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP), which targets the establishment of 25,000 hectares of new cocoa farms across five major cocoa-producing counties over five years. The plan also emphasizes the creation of cocoa nurseries to supply quality seedlings to smallholder farmers.
Experts believe that expanding cocoa production could significantly transform Liberia’s agricultural sector, drive economic and social growth, empower rural communities, and contribute meaningfully to national revenue.
