By O’Neill A R. Philips
The Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and the Food and Agriculture Organization ( FAO) have awarded certificates and farming equipment to several ‘ outstanding farmers’ in the country after a brilliant exhibition of their agriculture produce at the National Agriculture Fair (NAF) held in Gompa, Nimba County in December 2025.
The awards and farming materials were given particularly to farmers and agribusiness innovators in the agriculture sector.
During the presentation on Thursday, January 16, 2025 at the Central Agriculture Research Institute ( CARI) in Bong County, the Assistant Minister for Extension and National Coordinator of the 2025 National Agriculture Fair (NAF), Edward Perry said the drive was government’s effort in supporting farmers.
Assistant Minister Perry said the fair served as a key platform to promote quality production, value-added practices, market readiness, and innovation in Liberia’s agricultural sector.
He encourage farmers across the country to grow more food and participate in this year NAF.
“”I am encouraging farmers across the country to grow more food and win awards this year so as to encourage other people to get into farming, Assistant Minister Perry noted.
According to Assistant Minister Perry, a total of 25 awards were presented, including seven Special Awards and 18 Value Chain Awards, recognizing excellence in food crops, cash crops, fruit crops, livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, and agricultural innovation.
He indicated that the awards were presented following a transparent and competitive evaluation process conducted by a dedicated subcommittee co-chaired by the FAO and the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The Assistant Agriculture Minister noted that participants were assessed using clear criteria that focused on product display quality, freshness and ripeness, uniformity and visual appeal, and market readiness, including packaging and labeling.
The agriculture technocrat and extension minister said results from the evaluation highlighted strong performance across several counties, with Nimba County emerging as the top performer, winning all seven Special Awards and ten Value Chain Awards.
Assistant Minister Perry named the categories as cash crops, food crops, livestock, and fisheries.
At the same time, he said other counties that recorded notable achievements are Margibi County, three Value Chain Awards, Montserrado County two Value Chain Awards, Bomi County one Value Chain Award, Grand Bassa County one Value Chain Award, and Sinoe County one Value Chain Award.
The Assistant Agriculture Minister indicated noted that the Special Awards included prestigious honors such as President Farmer of the Year, Minister of Agriculture Best Farmer, UN Women Best Female Farmer, and FAO Best Agricultural Innovator.
According to him the Awards comprised rice mills, cassava processors, power tillers, motorized sprayers, wheelbarrows, destoners, and other productivity-enhancing equipment.
However, he promised the ministry’s commitment in improving the process every year.
” We are going to improve on the awards for the NAF in terms of awards and see what needs to be done to make farmers to be more involved and engaged” he stated.
Assistt Minister Edward Perry, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to empowering farmers, promoting innovation, and accelerating agricultural transformation in line with national food security and economic development goals.
He thanked the FAO and other development partners in the agriculture sector of Liberia for making the awards possible and noted that the fair goes beyond showcasing Liberia’s agricultural potential, but also to motivate farmers to compete and improve productivity and to inspire others.
The 2025 NAF National Coordinator encouraged youth to engage in agriculture and participate in future editions of the fair.
He congratulated the award winners and participants for their dedication and contributions, and emphasized that their achievements reflect Liberia’s growing potential for a resilient, inclusive, and market-oriented agricultural sector.
The five-day national event in Gompa, Nimba County drew more than 300 farmers and agricultural stakeholders from across Liberia who showcased a wide range of farm products, technologies, and innovations.
At the same time, FAO Acting Assistant Representative for Programs, Musa Sanoe promised FAO’s commitment in aligning with government to fight food insecurity.
Mr. Sanoe said the equipment given to the farmers will serve as a motivation to other farmers, and as a challenge to winners of the awards to do more.
“Our goal is to align our technical support to the National Agriculture Development Plan of the Government,” Mr. Sanoe said. FAO technical support to government is to fight food insecurity,” he stressed.
The FAO Representative acknowledged the winners of the 2025 NAF, and encouraged other farmers to do more in helping Liberia secure food self – sufficiency.
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