Minister Kpaka's World Food Day and "Feed Salone" Initiative

Minister Kpaka's World Food Day and "Feed Salone" Initiative

Minister of Agriculture Henry Musa Kpaka recently concluded a two-day working tour of Kambia District, assessing readiness for the upcoming World Food Day commemorations and evaluating progress on the government’s "Feed Salone" initiative. 

The national celebration, scheduled for October 30–31, will highlight agricultural innovation and food security.

Minister Kpaka engaged with various stakeholders, including District Council representatives, Paramount Chiefs, and farmer groups, who reaffirmed their commitment to a successful event. 

Discussions focused on coordination, community mobilization, and showcasing Kambia’s agricultural potential. The Minister also inspected proposed event grounds and instructed the local organizing committee to finalize site layouts and conduct a dry run.

A key aspect of the visit was the tour of the food reserve at Kobia, established under the Food Systems Resilience Programme. This reserve, currently holding over 10,000 bags of 50kg rice sourced from local farmers, aims to stabilize market prices and mitigate food system shocks.

Addressing infrastructure challenges, Minister Kpaka acknowledged that poor road networks have diverted much of Kambia’s rice trade to Guinea but expressed optimism that ongoing road construction and the strategic placement of the food reserve would improve market access. 

He also visited the research center of Mohamed Samu, a recipient of President Bio’s AgTech Youth Award, who is developing locally produced organic fertilizer. The Minister encouraged youth innovation in agriculture.