“Our Rubber Products Are Spoiling” Consortium CORSAL Cries For Lifting Of Executive Order#124

The Consortium of Rubber Sector Actors of  Liberia (CORSAL), a duly registered  advocacy group under the laws of  the Republic of Liberia comprising of Rubber farmers, rubber  brokers, truckers,   rubber exporters and forwarding agents has cried for the lifting of Executive Order#124 on the exportation of unprocessed rubber.  According to CORSAL, the rubber sector in Liberia history is replete with the dominance of few elite institutions to the disadvantage of the poor Liberian rubber farmers and other actors within the sector which work against a free competitive market on the basis of willing buyer and willing seller.   The group through a statement issued on Monday, April 29, 2024 said the Executive Order was issued abruptly without stakeholder consultation.  “To date, we have 94 containers of unprocessed rubber stocked at the free Port of Monrovia since December 2023, and for which the Government of Liberia has made us to pay US$57,000 in storage fees alone 3 weeks ago. As we speak, the storage is again accruing up to thousands of United States Dollars and we have more than 2000 tons of rubber in stock at our various buying stations across the country.  Our business capitals are being fast damaged by the action of the Government of Liberia. Our bank loans are in default and banks are about to take our properties and the Government of Liberia supports this highly”, the statement noted.  CORSAL emphasized that the Government of Liberia is misapplying the Constitution by using Article 5(c) of the 1986 Constitution which reads thus “The Republic shall take steps by appropriate Legislation and Executive Orders to eliminate sectionalism and tribalism, and such abuses of power as the misuse of government resources, nepotism and all other corrupt practices” as its reliance for issuing Executive Order #124. CORSAL moreover says that the rubber is not for the Government of Liberia and all other conditions set in Article 5(c) are not within the rubber sector. “The rubber was planted by farmers without assistance from the Government or processors. As such, the farmers must be allowed to have access to a market of their choice”.  Accordingly, the group states that one of the most inhumane and terrible provisions of Executive Order No 124 is contained in Section 9 which reads thus: “That as of the effective date of this Executive Order, all broker activities relating to purchase, sale, or trade of unprocessed rubber in the Republic of Liberia MUST CEASE and agents of processors shall be the only persons to act on behalf of, or for a processor, or to act as intermediaries between farmers and processors in transporting the unprocessed natural rubber trade”.  CORSAL maintained that Executive Order #124 also violates “The Competition Law of Liberia -2016” which promotes efficient Free Market System. According to the group, the abovementioned violations of the 1986 Constitution and The Competition Law of Liberia are clear incentive for citizens mass actions or civil disobedience against the State.  The statement furthered noted that the group met with all the state actors concerning the ban on the exportation of unprocessed rubber and explained how this ban is affecting the Liberian people”.