In Summary
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Representative Alfred Flomo has claimed that the Unity Party-led government reduced the price of rice from L$6,000 to L$2,500.
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We have verified this claim by reviewing several credible news sources and found that Mr. Flomo’s claim is misleading.
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Before the Boakai administration took office in January 2024, the 25kg bag of rice was sold in some areas for L$3,600, equivalent to US$18, while in other areas, it was sold for between L$3,500 to 3,450, which translates to US$17.50.
Grand Bassa County’s District #4 Representative Alfred Hezekiah Flomo claimed on Facebook that the administration of President Jospeh N. Boakai has reduced the price of a bag of rice from L$6,000 to L$2,500.
Representative Flomo made this claim on October 19, while highlighting what he described as progress under the current administration.
He noted in the post that despite the country’s challenges, significant improvements have been made in the lives of Liberians.
The Claim
An excerpt of his post reads: “Despite the challenges we face, there have been significant improvements in the lives of Liberians, including: A reduction in the price of rice, from 6,000 LD to 2,500 LD”.
Rating Justification
To verify this claim, we launched an online search using reputable sources such as the Ministry of Commerce and credible news articles. We sought to establish the correct market prices of the commodity before and after Boakai’s administration took office.
Before President Boakai’s inauguration on January 22, a 25kg bag of rice was sold at a market price of US$17.50 or its Liberian Dollar equivalent of LD$3,300 at the Central Bank Rate of L$188 to US$1.
Meanwhile, 27 days into President Boakai’s government, the Ministry of Commerce announced the reduction of the retail price of the 25kg rice from US$17 to US$16.75.
Two years into the UP administration, a Presidential Ad-Hoc Committee on Price Contradictions was formulated by government to look into the high prices of basic commodities on the market. The committee which was chaired by Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung, Sr., announced a reduction in the price of rice from US$16.75 to US$14 in September 2025.
Comparatively, we also reviewed multiple sources to determine the price of a bag of rice during the six-year term of the CDC administration to establish whether the price ever soared to L$6,000.
When the CDC administration took office in January 2018, the retail price of rice was US$16.50 or its Liberian Dollar equivalent of L$2,145.00 at the rate of L$130 to
In February 2018, President George Weah met with rice importers and agreed to reduce the price of a 25kg bag of rice by US$2.00, from US$16.00 to US$14.00.
Similarly, FrontPage Africa reported on June 8, 2021, that following the 2018 meeting, the wholesale price of rice dropped to US$13.50, while the retail price remained at US$14.00, or approximately L$2,400 at the CBL exchange rate of L$2,400.00 to US$1.
In 2022, the Ministry of Information announced that the government maintained the price of rice through subsidies to importers after they requested an increase from US$13.50 to US$16.00 per 25kg bag.
However, in December 2022, the Ministry of Commerce approved a price adjustment, raising the wholesale price of a 25kg bag from US$13.50 to US$17.00 and the retail price from US$14.00 to US$17.50—or roughly L$3,000 at the rate of L$153 to US$1. This was the highest recorded price of rice during the six-year term of the CDC government.
Conclusion
Based on these findings, the claim made by Representative Alfred Flomo that the Unity Party government reduced the price of rice from L$6,000 to L$2,500 is misleading. The administration of the Unity Party under President Boakai, reduced the price of the 25kg bag of rice from US$17.50 (L$3,500.00) in January 2024 to US$14 (L$2,800.00) on September 2, 2025.
