By Alusine Sesay
One of the leading flagbearer aspirants for the main opposition, All Peoples Congress (APC) party, Ambassador Omrie Golley has said that with Sierra Leone’s vast fertile land, eight months of rainfall, and plentiful rivers, streams and sea, no Sierra Leonean should live in hunger.
Ambassador Golley is developing agricultural production centres across Sierra Leone. The project is geared towards attaining food security, ending the country’s dependence on food import, and promoting export.
Sierra Leone spends Le240 million annually on the importation of rice and over US$20 million on the importation of onions.
Ambassador Golley made remarks came recently when releasing a detailed policy paper on Sierra Leone’s Agriculture Sector and Achieving Food Security. The policy paper lays his vision for Sierra Leone’s Agricultural sector once elected president of the nation in the upcoming June 2023 presidential election. He said achieving food security “will require us to utilise the latest agricultural techniques, embrace modernisation, and train our people in these more productive and sustainable ways”.
Ambassador Golley further highlighted his own personal contribution to setting the basis of this transformation of our agriculture sector which includes the setting up of four (4) agric-training centres in the four regions of the country. He said, “At these sites, local farmers will be trained in all aspects of agriculture, using advanced agricultural equipment, knowledge, and technology essential for maximum productivity. This will include utilising advanced drip irrigation solutions which make best use of water and available land, enhancing food production.”
Ambassador Golley’s Policy Paper further added that the aim will be to train local people in the latest agricultural techniques, including the use of drip irrigation. “Not only does this technique drastically reduce water usage, but it also increases yields, is more cost-effective, and prevents soil erosion. I believe drip irrigation has the potential to transform agricultural productivity in Sierra Leone and it will be my mission to train our people to realise its benefits,” he stressed.
Speaking on his vision, Ambassador Golley added that his “vision is to identify 100 acres of land from all 14 provincial districts of Sierra Leone to establish a network of productive farms in rural communities across our country. The knowledge and techniques from these farms can then be adopted by neighbouring communities, organically transforming our agricultural industry.”
“If you place your trust in me, I will build upon the success of my agri-education projects to transform agriculture across Sierra Leone, ensuring food security and ending the widespread hunger suffered by our people,” Ambassador Omrie Golley concluded.
