Solidaridad to launch new cocoa and oil palm programs tomorrow
–Programs to benefit over 42,000 farmers from both the oil palm and cocoa sectors in Liberia
Solidaridad-Liberia will on Friday, June 14, 2019, launch its Cocoa Rehabilitation and Intensification Programme (CORIP) and the Sustainable West Africa Oil Palm Programme (SWAPP), a release from the institution states.
Participants from government institutions, development partners, financial institutions and stakeholders from the cocoa and oil palm sectors will witness the launch which will take place at the Bella Cassa Hotel in Sinkor.
According to the release, the two programs seek to boost sustainable production in the cocoa and oil palm industries in Liberia. Both programs to benefit 42,000 farmers from the cocoa and oil palm industries. The Embassy of Netherlands in Ghana funded the two programs.
In a follow-up interview via telephone, Elvis Sirleaf, Communication Officer of Solidaridad-Liberia, says the programs will assist the creation of an enabling policy environment that will speed up service delivery to farmers through Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
CORIP will focus on the large-scale adoption for sustainable growth of the cocoa sector through recommended inputs, extension, and financial services. This will follow the establishment and operation of service delivery enterprises called the Centers for Cocoa Development (CCDs) in Liberia.
Also, SWAPP aims at scaling up sustainable oil palm production and increasing mill availability for the efficient processing of Fresh Fruit Bunches (FFBs) into crude palm oil. Under SWAPP, farmers will undertake training on Best Management Practices (BMP) in oil palm production and processing. The program will facilitate access to finance for the creation and operations of SMEs that will deliver farm management services and promote investment in processing mills for efficient extraction of oil from fresh palm fruit bunches.
CORIP will be implemented in Bong, Lofa and Nimba Counties, while SWAPP will be implemented in Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Lofa and Nimba Counties. Solidaridad-Liberia, the Ministry of Agriculture and institutions from the private sectors are implementing partners on the two programs.
