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Deputy Minister Korvah Assures Firestone of Government’s Support
HARBEL, Liberia, West Africa (Aug. 10, 2006)- An official of the Ministry of Agriculture has assured Firestone Liberia that the Government of Liberia will support the “Free Rubber Stumps Supply” exercise launched recently by the company.
Speaking Monday, Aug. 7, 2006, during the official launch of the exercise in Salala, Bong County, the deputy minister of agriculture, Mr. Peter N. Korvah, said the exercise is a laudable venture because according to him, it has been the desire of government to see the rehabilitation of the dying Liberian rubber industry which was greatly affected as a result of the protracted period of civil war in the country.
The deputy minister of agriculture further described the launch of the exercise by Firestone Liberia as a boost to efforts aimed at resurrecting the dying Liberian rubber industry which is part of the supporting arms of government’s revenue intake.
Speaking earlier, the public affairs manager of Firestone Liberia, Mr. G. Rufus Karmorh, disclosed that, to date, 140,000 high-grade rubber stumps have been distributed free of charge to qualified Liberian farmers.
Mr. Karmorh said that an additional 160,000 stumps will be distributed, making a total of 300,000 stumps for this year. The plan for next year, according to the Firestone public affairs boss, is to double the number of stumps being distributed to more than 600,000.
For his part, a Liberian farmer, Mr. Kovhle Baysah, described the exercise as a “dream come true;” and noted that Firestone Liberia is the foundation of the Liberian rubber industry.
According to Mr. Baysah, he and his colleagues were overwhelmed by the level of support they have and continue to receive from Firestone Liberia in their quest to rehabilitate their various farms.
He expressed the hope that Firestone would go beyond supplying individual farmers by extending the exercise to the community or district level wherein communities or districts would be assisted to establish their own nurseries.
Mr. Baysah appealed to the beneficiaries to utilize the opportunity Firestone is providing them by ensuring that the stumps are planted and maintained to maturity as means of reawakening the dying spirit of the Liberia rubber industry.
The total of six coordinators and 11 farmers received rubber stumps for distribution to farmers and replanting respectively.
The well-attended program was graced by the presence of an array of Firestone officials including the rubber purchase manager, Mr. Morthi Muthusamy and Mr. Krishnan Nalaiah, farm advisory manager, Rubber Planters Association of Liberia, among others.
