Liberian leader George Manneh Weah has suspended import tariffs on agriculture products and materials with immediate effects.President Weah’s action is contained in Executive Order #115 issued Monday, January 23, 2023, which aims to solidify the gains realized and to continue to accelerate the development of the forestry and agricultural sectors in Liberia.

The action furthers the government’s determination to seek and promote a stable macroeconomic environment that enables private-sector-led economic growth, greater competitiveness, and diversification of the economy.

The order is consistent with the PAPD, the Liberian government and international partners’ determination towards making tremendous strides to boost the agriculture sector by working with key market players to make agriculture affordable for farmers through; inter alia, farm development and management, aggregation, Good Agriculture Practices (GAP), Training and enabling legislation that would boost agriculture output.

President Weah said the decision stemmed from the findings of local and international partners in the sector and the government’s internal review process which discovered that the tariffs associated with agriculture Inputs are high.

He said this affects Liberian agriculture adversary and poor rural farmers who rely predominantly on farming for their livelihood.

Dr. Weah indicated in the order that it is also against the realisation that the causal effect that such high tariffs have on the agricultural sector and livelihood of rural farmers, contravenes its agenda to promote a stable macroeconomic environment, enable private-sectored economic growth, competitiveness and diversification in the Liberian economy.

He envisioned that by lowering the tariffs associated with the importation of agricultural inputs, imports of agro-distributors would increase, and the price of input farmers would be lowered.

According to President Weah the effect of reduced tariffs on the agricultural sector brings the government closer to achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (#2) of ending hunger, improved nutrition, achieving food security, and promoting sustainable agriculture.

Agriculture products exempted under the order are live cattle (bovines) for breeding, live pigs (swine) for breeding, live sheep and goats (small ruminants) for breeding and live fish for breeding.

They also include all types of agriculture seeds and planting materials (cereals, pulses, oilseeds, fodder, and vegetables and other crops) including rice for sowing under chapter 10 and of the Harmonise Coding System (Custom Tariff).

Others are all types of agriculture seeds for sowing under chapter 12 of the Harmonized Coding System (Customs Tariff) Ingredients (raw and processed) used in animal, fish and poultry feed preparation commercially prepared or complete feeds for farm animals, fish and poultry- feeds, also included.