Liberia - Growth with development - basic economic report (Vol. 5 of 7) : Agriculture

CiRCULATING COPY _ _5_ TiE RETURNED TO REPORTS D SK RETURN TO Report No. 426a-LBR REPORTS !DESK Liberia WITHIN Growth with Development ONE Wt( A Basic Economic Report (In Seven Volumes) Volume V: Agriculture I March 1, 1975 Western Africa Region Not for Public Use U Document of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development International Development Association This report was prepared for official use only by the Bank Group. It may not be published, quoted or cited without Bank Group authorization. The Bank Group does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the report.  CURRENCY EQUIVALENT The official monetary unit is the Liberian dollar, with a par value equal to that of the U.S. dollar. Apart from the Liberian dollar, the U.S. dollar is a legal tender in Liberia.  LIBERIA - THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No. Preface I. THE STRUCTURE OF THE AGRICULTURE SECTOR 1 Farm System 3 Foreign Concessionaires 4 Commercial Agriculture 5 Traditional Agriculture 7 Production 11 Comparative Advantage of Crop Production 14 Marketing, Storage and Transport 16 Marketing of Rabber by Concessions 16 Marketing of EBport Crops and Rice by the Liberian Produce Marketing Corporation (LPMC) 17 Retail Marketing of Foodstuffs 18 Storage 18 II. GOVERNMENT POLICIES.AND ORGANIZATION OF SERVICES 19 Budgetary Allocation for Agriculture 1Q The Ministry of Agriculture 20 Agricultural Research 23 Agricultural Education 25 Pricing Policies 26 Land Tenure Policy 28 III. OPPORTUNITIES AND CONSTRAINTS FOR DEVELOPING AGRICULTURE 29 Opportunities 29 The Natural Resource Base 29 Market Prospects 30 Technology 33 The Constraints 33 The Ministry of Agriculture and the Problem of Absorptive Capacity 33 Price and Marketing Constraints 35 Transport Constraint 41 Input Supply Contraint 41 Agricultural Credit 42 Extension Service 42 Land Tenure 42 Education 43  Table of Contents (cont'd) Page No. Strategy for Agricultural Development 43 Regional Strategy Aspects 44 Strategy for the Coastal Belt 45 Strategy for the Interior 45 Action Programs 45 Reorganization of the Ministry of Agriculture 45 Pricing and Farm Income Policies 46 Organization of Marketing 47 Input Supply 48 Credit 48 Research and Extension 49 Land Tenure Policy 50 Production Programs 50 Traditional Agriculture 50 Commercial Agriculture 50  PREFACE (i) In previous economic reporting on Liberia little attention has been given to the agricultural sector and its main developmental issues. The purpose of this report is to present an initial overall view of the agricultural sector, to identify some of the key constraints and issues of Liberia's agricultural development and to suggest institutional and policy changes critical for accelerating agricultural output and improving incomes of the rural population over time. (ii) The quantitative basis behind the findings of this report are uncertain, since the existing data base is thin and much of the data available has limited reliability. Under the time available to the mission, no attempt has been made to subject the data base and the data series to any extensive analysis. This qualifying note is introduced at the beginning of the report to avoid constant repetition of the same point wherever data is cited. (iii) Given the above limitation and the Government's new increased emphasis on agricultural development and improvement of living conditions for the rural population, there is need to pursue more thoroughly a series of unanswered problems critical to agricultural development. This report, therefore, is a first attempt at an synthesis of available information which may outline some of the most urgent problems and prospects facing rural development in Liberia.   II. -~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I~~~~~~~~5. 9~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 5 DI BR 1-06 35 SI E RRA LEONE G L Foy A;l>>;_ PRANDl \ 'AP -, S I' I G to =rR! f <orAV r M COUNTY L - M A T,en_ t 0 J N T Y~ Gboro$)g G ' rGl^ MONRCOVA ::QLIJI /) > "2 .- IVR COAST v < WBRI BUANOR \ \*Qa ; it/ VGT TIN NI M V FR A NTATION k ? COUNTY- LIITO RAINFOREST Cc a* ,, Rf / wwrs r5X S EMAIN AGADECS 5OREST FtivercesSO -- i X > . N S g1 ip e _______ FARM AND SACONDARY ROADS T V 0 R Y C 0\A S T RAI NROA VIARR ZASSDAQ AA VA 'T, " FARM AND FLATATIDN i r :\ \./\\ y ,TT. | - FR ABNF ODARIAS Auchn IA tn Z iNE -LIIDFRAINFOREST OCef revlew-".<t -5< MAIN RDAD5 \<;: ~~~~~ /. ' f \ \ \ > .N FARMDNDAR SEONARY \FOREST SN8yc AINTERNATIONAL P DANT ARIES RILE 11'I'n. r1.5;