North Korea and CSOs Witness a Bumper Harvest of Rice and Maize in Moyamba District

By Salhaj & Mackisal

There was jubilation, drumming, dancing and celebration in villages across Moyamba District as President Julius Maada Bio and First Lady, Madam Fatima Maada Bio, led a high-powered delegation to witness bumper harvesting of rice and maize – a major milestone in the government’s flagship Feed Salone food security drive.

The President and First Lady were accompanied by State House officials, Ministers of Government, journalists and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to physically witness what many described as one of the most successful harvest seasons in recent years. Making the event more colourful, historic and exciting was the presence of a cross-section of (North Koreans Journalists) and Civil Society Organisations who were on hand to cover the event in support of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security under Dr. Henry Musa Kpaka.

The historic tour took place on Saturday, 17th October 2026, in three locations.

First, at Bai Largo in Moyamba District, President Bio visited the SLENC Limited farm, a women-led agribusiness producing maize for poultry feed. The farm, which recorded an impressive harvest last year, has this year recorded even higher yields to improved seeds, mechanization and extension support from the Ministry of Agriculture. The maize is critical for reducing Sierra Leone’s dependence on imported poultry feed ingredients and for supporting the growing local poultry industry.

President Bio commended the women farmers for proving that commercial agriculture is not only for men, but is a viable business that creates jobs and wealth.

The second stop was at Smart Farms in Moyamba District to inspect an irrigation supported seed multiplication initiative by the Sierra Leone Agricultural Research Institute and thirdly at Yoni, Kamajei Chiefdom, at the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) Farm. There, President Bio joined officers and personnel led by Chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Amara Bangura, in a symbolic rice harvest.

The RSLAF, under Deputy Minister of Defence Rtd. Colonel Muana Brima Massaquoi, now operates 4,837 acres of rice and cashew farms across the country. The initiative is supported by Section 165 (2) of the 1991 Constitution, which mandates the Armed Forces to contribute to national development.

“The RSLAF will assiduously work with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and other partners to achieve the Government’s Feed Salone Initiative,” Col. Massaquoi said.

The Moyamba harvest is not an isolated success. It reflects the broader gains of Feed Salone, one of President Bio’s Big Five Game Changers launched in 2023 under which Rice production has risen to 1.44 million metric tonnes in 2025, which is 4.21% from 2023.

Base on records and research conducted so far, Rice self-sufficiency has risen from 68% in 2023 to 73% in 2025 – one of the highest in West Africa. Report also indicates that the national rice import bill has been cut by over $18 million. The records from WFP and FAO also indicates that over 1 million school pupils are now fed daily, with 270,000 of them fed with locally produced rice supplied through the World Food Programme scheme. It also estimated that Severe household food insecurity has fallen from 28% in 2023 to 13% in 2025.

On Sunday, 18th October, the President and First Lady also showcased their private farm investments in Bonthe District, where they harvested hundreds of acres of rice, inspected fish farms and livestock facilities, with a powerful message: “If we, as a family, can farm, every Sierra Leonean can.”

For the North Korean Journalists and CSOs present in Moyamba, the message was clear – Feed Salone is no longer just a policy document at Youyi Building. It is rice in the bag, maize in the silo, and money in the pockets of farmers.

Dr. Kpaka’s Ministry has been provisionally allocated NLe110.5 million for FY2027 to expand mechanization, irrigation, post-harvest infrastructure and access to finance for smallholders to consolidate these gains.