By: Domingo Dargbeh
The Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA) last Thursday marked a historic turning point in the country’s agricultural sector with the official validation of its new policies governing cocoa, coffee, and palm oil, alongside the launch of its ambitious Five-Year Strategic Plan.
The high-level validation event, held at A’LaLagume in Congo Town, brought together a diverse group of stakeholders to finalize frameworks designed to modernize and regulate Liberia’s most vital agricultural value chains.
The newly validated policies are set to transform how Liberia manages its key exports. By establishing clear guidelines, the policies will empower LACRA to monitor compliance requirements more effectively, ensuring that all actors—from smallholder farmers to large-scale exporters—adhere to international quality standards.
In his keynote address, Acting Director General Dan Saryee described the initiative as a “big boost” for the institution.
“This is a milestone achievement for LACRA,” Director Saryee stated. “As we work to improve the quality of Liberian cocoa beans and other commodities, these documents provide the roadmap necessary to ensure our products are competitive on the global market and that all sector actors live up to their commitments.”
The event was facilitated by legal expert, Counselor Rosevelt Gould, assisted by a team of technical specialists from LACRA. To ensure the policies were inclusive and practical, participants engaged in intensive breakout group sessions to provide expert input and finalize the regulatory frameworks.
The validation saw participation from a wide range of government and private sector entities, including the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), The Cooperative Development Agency (CDA)the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Private Sector Actors, including major exporters and local buying agents. The launch of the Five-Year Strategic Plan serves as a blueprint for LACRA’s institutional growth. The plan outlines specific goals for increasing revenue generation, improving the livelihoods of local farmers, and enhancing the “Brand Liberia” identity for agricultural exports.
With these tools now in place, LACRA is better positioned to enforce the “signs up” requirements of the sector, ensuring transparency and accountability across the board.
LACRAis the government agency responsible for promoting production, processing and exporting of agricultural commodity in Liberia, with a primary focus on cocoa, coffee, and oil palm.