Monrovia, Liberia – A significant agricultural initiative that could potentially solve Liberia’s long-standing food security issue is about to begin. It came after the Vietnamese Uniland Group of Companies and the Liberian government signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
In accordance with the agreement, Uniland would develop a trial 50-hectare rice farm project in Bong County through its Liberian subsidiary, Unifarm, with the possibility of expanding to other regions of the nation. In line with the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, the project aims to improve the production of the staple food of Liberia utilizing Vietnamese technology. This move appears likely to support the government’s efforts to close the gap in food security.
Speaking at the signing ceremony over the weekend, Unifarm’s Managing Director Peter Edward Dinning, who signed on behalf ofย ย Uniland Group Chairman Van Trung Le’s, expressed excitement that the Liberian Ministry of Agriculture and the company had finally finalized the deal. According to Mr. Dinning, equipment will reach Liberia within 45 days after the MOU being signed, and the first crop is anticipated to be planted by May of next year.
The agreement seeks to boost domestic rice production, lessen reliance on imports, and even turn Liberia into an exporter. According to the company, the Unifarm Liberia initiative aims to increase agricultural productivity through knowledge transfer, employment creation, and capital investment. According to MD Dinning, harvest could be ready three months after the first crop is planted utilizing Vietnamese technology.
Dr. Alexander Nuetah, the Minister of Agriculture, expressed joyย that the pilot program would introduce machinery and technology, generate employment, and increase local farmers’ ability to increase rice production in Liberia. Minister Nuetah thanked the Uniland Group for taking on this extremely fulfilling project in Liberia, particularly for sending a professor from the Vietnam Rice Institute to help with rice farming and local training.
Negotiations for the deal started in March 2025, and the Minister seems pleased with the advantages of the collaboration, such as Liberia’s basic foods being less reliant on imports and potentially becoming exporters. Minister Nuetah told the media after the signing ceremony in Monrovia on Friday, December 5, 2025, that the company will promote rice farming using Vietnamese technology. In other counties or regions with high rice output, they will duplicate that.
“We are going to provide a land for Uniland Vietnam, through their subsidiary here, Unifarm to produce rice for the market. It’s going to be scaled up to commercial level. The team in Vietnam will provide all the technology and equipment that is needed to produce on the 50 hectares. And when they deem it necessary to scale up for commercial purposes, both for the Liberian market and international market, then that will happenโ.
The Minister stated that the government’s goal under the ARREST Agenda is to make Liberia self-sufficient, particularly with regard to rice, the nation’s primary meal. Since rice is our main crop, we should be able to produce enough food or rice to feed ourselves. According to our national development plan, we have set a target of 50,000 hectares, of which 2000 hectares would grow high-yielding kinds of rice.
“We believe that the arrival of the Vietnamese, who have advanced technology capable of producing more than five metric tons per acre, will be a significant milestone if we are able to scale our output to that level. Therefore, the outcomes we hope to achieve are more important to us than the work we do since that is what we approve of,” the Agriculture Minister continued.
Although the parties have not yet disclosed the deal’s financial worth, it appears to be a significant and mutually beneficial move given the heavy gear and technologies involved. When questioned about the deal’s monetary worth, Minister Nuetah said;
“I know they will be bringing in machinery and other items, but I don’t want to think of it in terms of money. To complete the task, they will employ workers. It has to do with employment generation and knowledge transmission. We should be able to start the first manufacturing by May of next year, I believe you heard him. We want to inspect it in 45 days to see what happens because he has promised me that the production equipment will be on the ship arriving in 45 days.”
The country will welcome any well-intentioned investor with interest in the agriculture sector, he said, praising colleagues and other Liberians who were involved in the negotiation process that attracted such a large investment to Liberia.
By fulfilling a significant pledge made by President Joseph Boakai as part of his administration’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development, the action may put Liberia in a position to become self-sufficient in the production of food, particularly the nation’s staple “Rice”.
