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By: Yawah Y. Jaivey
Todee, Montserrado County — The Rubber Planters’ Association of Liberia (RPAL), in partnership with the Rubber Development Fund Incorporated (RDFI), has completed the distribution of 200,000 budded rubber stumps to smallholder farmers and facilitated the establishment of 35 new bud wood nurseries across the country.
According to RPAL officials, the initiative seeks to strengthen rubber production by supporting farmer cooperatives to establish and manage bud wood nurseries in nine counties, including Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Lofa, Margibi, Montserrado, Nimba, and River Cess.
During a project assessment tour on Thursday, November 27, 2025, in Popo Town, Bong County, and Yarkpai Town in Todee District, Montserrado County, RPAL President Wilhelmina G. Mulbah-Siaway said the nationwide visits are intended to gather firsthand reports on the progress of the eight-month initiative.
She explained that the project is designed to empower smallholder farmers with improved planting materials, technical support, and cooperative-level structures that will drive long-term sustainability in the rubber sector.
Mrs. Mulbah-Siaway revealed that phase one of the project resulted in the establishment of 35 new bud wood nurseries, bringing the national total of improved clone nurseries to 82, when combined with the existing 47.
“These bud wood nurseries will support the expansion of seedlings nurseries with a national target of producing one million budded rubber stumps by 2026,” she said. “This will significantly boost farmers’ access to quality planting materials and increase productivity.”
She added that farmers—now better organized through cooperatives—have begun setting up their own bud wood nurseries, ensuring a reliable future supply of propagation materials needed for bud-grafting and rootstock development.
Under the project arrangement, RPAL and RDFI will purchase the budded stumps from the cooperatives and redistribute them to smallholder farmers, with each individual farmer expected to receive 1,000 budded stumps for planting on their farms.
Mrs. Mulbah-Siaway emphasized that the project delivers benefits across the value chain.
“This project is about increasing rubber production in Liberia. It’s a win-win effort,” she noted. “The government will benefit from increased revenue, processors will have more raw materials, and farmers will see higher yields and improved incomes.”
As part of the technical support package, RPAL has hired agricultural field supervisors and technicians to deliver best practices and new technologies in rubber cultivation. These experts are providing hands-on training to farmers in bud-grafting, tapping, nursery management, and modern agronomic techniques.
The RPAL president also disclosed that the organization is supplying farmers with essential agricultural inputs for establishing and maintaining bud wood gardens. Extension services are being expanded to ensure farmers can adopt improved practices with confidence and efficiency.
In addition, RPAL and RDFI are working to strengthen the institutional capacity of farmer groups through cooperative development. Efforts also include increasing RPAL membership by issuing free identification cards to farmers, thereby allowing more producers to formally benefit from the Association’s services.
Mrs. Mulbah-Siaway stressed that these interventions are focused on ensuring that farmers receive full value for the fees they pay, including access to improved planting materials, training, extension services, and cooperative support.
“Our goal is to help farmers achieve better results through collective action while improving their access to the essential inputs and skills needed for success,” she stated.
Meanwhile, farmers benefiting from the initiative expressed gratitude to RPAL and RDFI for the support and pledged their continued commitment to the program.
