By New Dawn

Copyright thenewdawnliberia

The Acting Director General of the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority, Dan Saryee, has recommitted the entity’s pledge to implementing pillar one of the President’s agenda.

By: Edwin N Khakie

Kakata, Margibi County, October 2, 2025: Mr. Saryee stated that the transformation of Liberia begins with the soil, and LACRA is prepared to help drive that growth in the interest of farmers.

Speaking at the Booker Washington Institute in Kakata, Margibi County, during the celebration of International Coffee Day, DG Saryee noted that LACRA is committed to unlocking the doors to coffee production in Liberia, adding, “The time is now to get it right.”

Acting DG Saryee acknowledged further that it was also time to look beyond the crops and focus on the farmers, adding that for too long, Liberian farmers have faced challenges of low productivity, poor market linkages, and weak quality control.

The one-time civil society activist pledged that LACRA is poised to change the narrative with a vigorous commitment to ensure stricter quality control measures at every point of the value chain, specifically from the harvesting of beans to their export.

The Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority’s Acting Boss also pledged the entity’s commitment to work and ensure the Liberian Coffee brand, “Coffee Liberica,” commands a premier price on the International Market.

Also speaking, Deputy Agriculture Minister for Extension Moses Gbanyan said, “Coffee is more than just a drink; it is a lively inheritance and a vehicle for economic Transformation.”

Minister Gbanyan, the guest speaker, paid special tribute to farmers across the country and appealed for support to empower them.

He said, “The celebration of International Coffee Day is a reminder that our past was great, but our future will be greater.

On the importance of coffee, Minister Gbanyan noted that coffee is more than a cup. It serves as a beacon for farmers to send their children to school, an opportunity for young people in processing, branding, and business, and a means of empowerment for women who are transforming communities through farming.

The International Coffee Day keynote speaker called on National Stakeholders to view coffee production as an opportunity to diversify their economy and stand tall in the global market.

Several high-profile officials, including Senator Wellington Geevon Smith, Chair of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Representative Alfred Flomo, LACRA Board Chair Joseph George Francis, and representatives from UNIDO, among others, were in attendance.

In separate remarks, they pledged their unflinching support to ensuring an increase in LACRA’s budgetary allotment.

Senator Smith commended the new team at LACRA for reactivating the entity, which had been dead for many years.

“On behalf of the senate’s leadership, Senator Geevon Smith commended farmers, especially those who are engaged with coffee production, on the occasion marking the celebration of International Coffee Day.

International Coffee Day is an occasion that is used to promote and celebrate coffee as a beverage, with events now occurring in places around the world. The first official date was October 1, 2015, as agreed upon by the International Coffee Organization, and was launched in Milan. This day is also used to promote fair trade coffee and raise awareness about the plight of coffee growers. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah.