‘$250 M for Rice Importation Annually Is Unsustainable’

By: Christian Conteh

The Secretary General of the Importers Association of Sierra Leone has described the country’s importation of 250 million dollars’ worth of rice annually as ironic and unsustainable

According to Rashid Conteh, on the global front it is ironic for 36 million people in Ukraine to produce and supply 60% of world wheat. It is also ironic to see Africa spend 35 billion dollars importing food into the continent while the continent has 60 to 80% of the world’sarable land.

On the national front it is ironic for Sierra Leone to import 250 million dollars’ worth of rice into the country annuallyeven though the country has about 85% arable land.

“It is ironic for Sierra Leone having 85% arable land importing 250 million dollars’ worth of rice into the country annually. Eating one container chicken a day, three containers imported eggs a day and spending 25 million dollars importing tomatoes and onions. We should be doing better,” Conteh said.

He confirmed that he is fully aware of the fact that with the global supply chain no one country can be self-sufficient, but noted that our level of importation as a country is unacceptable.

“For now we neither have the comparative advantage nor do we have the competitive advantage to produce rice but where government can be proactive in developing public infrastructure like irrigation systems, road networks, water supply and electricity we could lay the foundation which will see us stop importing rice,” he said.

He suggested continued corporation between and among African states, noting that if we as Africans could be trading among ourselves as a continent then there will no need for us to rely on Europe’s supply chain.

He mentioned China as a country that has done it, pointing out that it worked for them because of their large number something which he said Africa must emulate considering the continents large population and diversity.

“Imagine a situation where each country on the continent specialises in different products and we sell among ourselves,” Conteh suggested.

Meanwhile he bemoaned the current state of revenue generation across the Guinea Sierra Leone border describing the trade happening between the two sister countries currently as ‘so irrelevant’ (in the business sense), asserting that the customs in that part of the country is almost dead.

“With the depreciation of the Leones as against the dollar if you go to Conakry there is not much trade you can engage in, the customs department at the border is almost dead I went there and it looks like a graveyard. Revenue generation across the border has collapsed completely so you see why customs have not been meeting their target,” he said.