• Liberia signed an agreement for a 50-hectare pilot rice farm in Bong County

• The project supports technology transfer and aims to raise local rice output

• A broader $120 million investment plan seeks to cut reliance on rice imports

Liberia’s Minister of Agriculture, Alexander Nuetah, announced last week that he signed a memorandum of understanding with the Vietnamese conglomerate Uniland Group of Companies to establish a 50-hectare pilot rice farm in Bong County. According to the Daily Observer on December 11 the project will be carried out by Unifarm Liberia, Uniland’s local subsidiary, with production expected to begin by May 2026.

Peter Edward Dinning, chief executive of Unifarm, said the initiative focuses on technology transfer and scaling up local rice production. He noted that with Vietnamese technology, the harvest could be ready only three months after the first planting.

While the specific technologies have not been disclosed, Vietnam is a major global rice player. It is the world’s fifth-largest producer of milled rice, behind India, China, Bangladesh, and Indonesia, with output of 26.7 million tons in 2024/2025.

Vietnam is also the world’s second-largest rice exporter after India, having shipped around 7.9 million tons to global markets during the same period. The memorandum of understanding marks the first step in a strategic investment in Liberia’s rice sector that has been discussed for several months.

A $120 million investment plan taking shape

In April, Uniland Group announced plans to invest $120 million in Liberia’s rice industry during an official visit facilitated by the Liberian government.

According to details reported by Women Voices Newspaper, the company intends to establish commercial rice plantations in five counties, build two modern rice mills with a combined annual capacity of 50,000 tons, and train 5,000 Liberian farmers in intensive cultivation techniques.

These projects are expected to increase domestic rice output and help reduce the country’s growing dependence on imports. FAO data show that Liberia’s rice imports more than doubled from 285,756 tons in 2019 to 658,192 tons in 2023, while spending on these purchases also doubled to nearly $239.9 million.

The investment plan, backed by foreign capital, also supports implementation of the National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP) adopted in 2024. Under this strategy, the government aims to develop 50,000 hectares of lowland areas for rice cultivation by 2029, with support from both public and private investors.

Stéphanas Assocle