Salala District, Bong – Uniland Group of Companies has made a noteworthy move by identifying possible project locations through their Liberian affiliate, Unifarm Liberia, prior to the pilot phase of their investment in the country’s agriculture industry.
Locals in the District and beyond are excited about the project farm, offices, and proposed factory that will be located in Salala, Bong County. As a trial project, fifty hectares of land will be cultivated for rice production; this might be expanded to other counties with high rice yields.
A major program announcing the investment package formally to residents of Salala took place over the weekend in Salala, attended by Ambassador Juli Endee of Unifarm who represented Uniland Group Chairman Van Trung Lee and General Manager Peter Danning, alongside local government authorities in Salala and residents of the District.
The corporate officials were greeted by Salala District inhabitants and local authorities, including Commissioner Karmone Kanneh, who expressed excitement over the arrival of such a significant project.
The property for the planned project farm, offices, homes, and manufacturing plant has been voluntarily agreed upon by the locals, Commissioner Kanneh informed the program. This will increase economic activity in Salala, Bong, and Liberia as a whole.
Earlier, Liberia Crusaders for Peace Executive Director, Juli Endee, representing the Vietnamese Company, said the entity was pleased with the selection of Salala as host of the Company’s initial investment in the Country.
Ambassador Endee lauded, Agriculture Minister Dr. Alexander Nutah, Representative Maima Briggs Mensah and Superintendent Loleeyah Hawa Norris for playing crucial roles leading to a decision to launch the company’s operation in Liberia, with Salala as its base. She disclosed that experts from the Ministry of Agriculture have done scientific testing of the soil and have established its richness for rice and other crops under consideration.
Negotiation on the agreement between the Liberian Government and Uniland Group started in March of 2025, and equipment are expected to arrive in Country soon to kick start an operation that looks set to bring about mutual benefits, reduce import dependence of Liberia’s staple food and potentially make Liberia an exporter of rice.
On the margins of the program, excited women of Salala brought out their agriculture products in a mini expo to showcase what their soil is made of. The display offered company officials the chance to see firsthand, proceeds of Salala, a move that could heighten the prospects of diversification in agriculture products when the company formally starts operation.
Following the program, Ambassador Endee and entourage, accompanied by Commissioner Kanneh, local government and Agriculture officials toured the proposed farm and factory sites in salala and so far the parties seemed to be satisfied with the selections.
At the same time locals of Bong County, notably residents of Salala, have complimented Agriculture Minister Dr. Alexander Nutah for making great gains in the agriculture sector of the country. The citizens said the Minister has always pushed himself, talking with partners and investors to make an intervention in the livelihood of his people.
They specifically mentioned the recent signing of a contract between Liberia and Uniland Group, a Vietnamese business, to produce rice in Liberia, beginning with a pilot project in Salala, Bong County. The Salala locals stated the selection of their District shows that the Minister is concern about the life of the people and want their participation in initiatives targeted at eliminating Liberia’s food security gaps.
For Salala Commissioner Karmone Kanneh, the engagement of locals in public-private agriculture investment is the surest approach toward economic empowerment and emancipation of the people from poverty. A significant production facility is being considered as part of the agreement, and the Uniland Group is anticipated to establish Salala as the center and headquarters of their operations in Liberia.
Residents of Salala are thrilled about the economic opportunities the project is expected to bring to their District, and the milestone agriculture project has the ability to address Liberia’s long-standing food security issue. In accordance with the agreement, Uniland would develop a trial 50-hectare rice farm project in Salala, Bong County, through its Liberian subsidiary, Unifarm, with the possibility of expanding to other regions of the nation.
The project seeks to enhance cultivation of the Liberian staple food, using Vietnamese technology, a move that is expected to boost government’s quest of bridging the food security gap as contained in government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development.
Recently, Uniland Group Managing Director, Peter who signed the agreement on behalf of Chairman Van Trung Lee, disclosed that the first crop is expected to be planted by May this year. According to MD Dinning, using Vietnamese technology, harvest could be ready within three months of planting the first crop.
The upcoming investment which pilots in Salala, Bong County, has the potential to position Liberia towards achieving self-sufficiency in food production, especially the country’s staple, delivering a major promise by President Joseph Boakai under his government’s ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development.
