Agriculture Minister Supports WFP with 20,000 Bags of Local Rice

The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka, officially handed over 20,000 bags of locally produced rice to the Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Conrad Sackey, during the launch of the 2026/27 Home-Grown School Feeding Programme at the World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse in Freetown.

Organized by the World Food Programme (WFP) in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, the event highlighted the Government’s commitment under the Feed Salone initiative to strengthen local food systems by creating sustainable markets for Sierra Leonean farmers.

Dr. Kpaka described the procurement as “Feed Salone in action,” noting that, with support from the World Bank-funded Food Systems Resilience Program (FSRP), the Government is enabling WFP to purchase rice directly from local farmers, boosting production, rural incomes, and food security.

He noted that the latest procurement builds on the achievements of the previous school year, during which WFP purchased more than 2,000 metric tonnes of locally produced food, providing school meals for over 250,000 children across five districts.

Minister Conrad Sackey said the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme plays a vital role in improving school attendance, nutrition, and children’s cognitive development.

WFP Country Representative Andrew Odero announced that 1 million kilograms of locally produced rice equivalent to 20,000 bags of 50 kilograms—have been procured for the 2026/27 school year. Valued at NLe22 million (approximately US$1 million), the procurement will support school meals for children in five districts while injecting much-needed income into rural farming communities.