Africa-Press – Liberia. In a Facebook post on Monday, Representative Taylor questioned the criteria used to select the beneficiary counties and called for regional balance in future government initiatives.
Maryland County District 3 Representative Austin Taylor has raised serious concerns over the exclusion of Southeastern counties from a new $4 million agriculture support project launched by the Ministry of Agriculture under the Public Sector Investment Project (PSIP).
The project, which aims to increase rice production and reduce Liberia’s reliance on imports, is currently supporting 500 farmers across eight counties. However, none of the beneficiaries come from Maryland, Grand Kru, River Gee, Sinoe, or Grand Gedeh Counties.
In a Facebook post on Monday, Representative Taylor questioned the criteria used to select the beneficiary counties and called for regional balance in future government initiatives.
He emphasized that farmers in the Southeast are equally deserving of support and must not be left out of national development programs.
“While I do not know the criteria that was used in considering those beneficiaries and their counties, I call on the Ministry of Agriculture to strike a regional balance when planning such programs,” Representative Taylor wrote.
“The equitable distribution of our nation’s resources should not be compromised. There are farmers from Maryland County who are very hardworking and deserve some support from their national government as well.”
In a phone interview on Tuesday, he confirmed that he has formally written to the Ministry of Internal Affairs requesting an explanation of the selection process. He said he is awaiting a response that would clarify why Southeastern counties were excluded from the project.
According to a statement released by the Ministry of Agriculture on September 3, the $4 million initiative supports rice cultivation on 1,000 hectares of lowland in Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Margibi, Lofa, Montserrado, and Nimba Counties.
Each selected farmer is receiving $1,000 per hectare, along with farming inputs such as fertilizer, improved seed rice, pesticides, and tools. The Ministry noted that disbursements are tied to performance benchmarks and are expected to be completed by the end of the week.
Officials have described the project as a major step toward empowering smallholder farmers and achieving national food security. However, the absence of any representation from Liberia’s Southeast has sparked frustration and calls for greater inclusivity in the distribution of government resources.
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