The Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA) has formally launched Liberia first post-war cocoa and occasional coverage within the nation.
LACRA is the federal government company answerable for regulating the cocoa and occasional sector and different agricultural commodities in Liberia. The coverage was launched on November 16, 2022 in Ganta, Nimba County.
The coverage seeks to deal with the problem of high quality commerce and commerce, license and authorization of firms in addition to requirements, exporters dealing with of cocoa, tips for high quality management for cocoa advertising, pricing, necessities of farmers and cooperatives, amongst different rules.
Solidaridad, with assist from the European Union, has labored with LACRA to develop the nation’s cocoa and occasional framework in order to make sure correct regulation for the advance of the lives of farmers, exporters and different worth chain members and to generate income for the nation.
The Director General at LACRA, Dr. John S. Flomo, throughout the launch of the coverage on Wednesday in Ganta, mentioned the challenges and referred to as on the federal government and companions to assist his entity with the mandatory logistics and gear in order to adequately implement the coverage.
“In the midst of developing the law we have challenges with the issues of limited staff to carry out monitoring. We are working to increase our staff in the various counties, especially at the borders. We do not have enough funding to provide more support to the policy,” Flomo mentioned.
Flomo added that his entity is a brand new authorities functionary that took over from the Liberia Produce Marketing Authority (LMPC), a defunct regulatory physique, which was established earlier than the conflict.
“Prior to the conflict LPMC was managing the sector, shopping for commodities from farmers, making provision for loans to empower the farmers and exporting the cocoa and occasional commodities in a foreign country. This was the first duty of that entity then.
“But with the coming of LACRA, we have a change of mandate that limits us to only regulation. The change happened in 2016 under the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf that brought our entity into existence,” he defined.
“Indeed the period has been a time of successes, though with numerous challenges. The policy today has been in motion since and it covered so many issues that are intended to improve the sector. For people to export out of the country what are the criteria to do it is what the policy aims to address,” he added.
For his half, the Country Representative of Solidaridad West Africa (Liberia), Micheal S. Doe, mentioned that the cocoa coverage will assist improve compliance within the sector thereby making LACRA to enhance on its operations.
“It is going to help improve standards, although implementing a policy is sometimes difficult due to the lack of capacity. For this policy to become successful there must be more financial support to LACRA to ensure the training of its staff. If this does not happen the policy will not become a reality,” he acknowledged.
Doe mentioned that they’re absolutely conscious that LACRA is underfunded however undue political affect can stall the implementation of coverage, thereby cautioning LACRA to do all they will to ensure that the coverage works for the sector.
A. Tijani Darrah, a member of the Cocoa exporter affiliation mentioned that they had been grateful to LACRA for drafting the coverage, one thing he acknowledged that it was actually within the curiosity of members of the affiliation.
He promised the willingness of the exporters’ affiliation to work with LACRA to make the sector an ideal one.
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