Summary:
- Liberia’s Agriculture Minister claimed that about 70 percent of the rice eaten in Liberia is imported.
- We reviewed data from several credible sources about Liberia’s rice importation situation
- All of the evidence shows that the claim by the Minister is correct.
On November 5, Agriculture Minister Alexander Neutah in a video interview aired on Kool FM’s Morning Ride program and posted on Facebook claimed that 70% of the rice consumed in Liberia is imported.
Minister Neutah made this claim while discussing Liberia’s reliance on imported rice and limited local production during his visit to rice production sites in the Fuamah Multipurpose Cooperative in Bong Mines, Bong County. Rice the Liberia’s staple food and it is a very important commodity.
The Claim
Minister Neutah stated: “We [Liberians] are importing about 70 percent of the rice that we eat.”
Listen to a claim here:
Rating Justification
To verify this claim, we conducted an online search and found the 2018-2030 Ministry of Agriculture’s Liberia National Rice Development Strategy II (NRDS II), a 10-year plan aimed at increasing local rice production and achieving self-sufficiency by 2030.
The NRDS II report indicates that “between 50 to 70% of the rice consumed is imported.”
Screenshot of 2018-2030 NRDS II report showing that “between 50 to 70% of the rice consumed is imported.”
Additionally, a July 2022 USAID/Liberia food security fact sheet highlighted Liberia’s heavy reliance on imported staples, particularly rice, stating, “70% of Liberia’s rice supply is imported, leaving the country vulnerable to global price shocks.”
Further research found a February 2023 Liberia Food and Agriculture Delivery Compact, outlining strategies to boost productivity in key value chains, including rice, rubber, cassava, and livestock.
This compact notes that “Liberia imports more than 80 percent of its staple food crops, mostly rice.”
Conclusion
Based on these findings, we conclude that Minister Neutah’s claim that 70% of the rice consumed in Liberia is imported is correct.
Reports from credible sources, including the Ministry of Agriculture, USAID, and the Liberia Food and Agriculture Delivery Compact, confirm that between 50-80% of the rice consumed in Liberia is imported.
