By Kelvin Jay
In order for them to be able to raise funds for the “Feed Salone” initiative which is the flagship Programme for the President in his second Term, the Government of President Julius Maada Bio has planned to remove all subsidies on rice and other essential commodities including cement.
This proposal was presented in the budget hearing wherein policy makers had agreed to remove subsidies on rice and cement so that the Government will be able to raise money for the “Feed Salone” initiative.
According to our source, the proposal for subsidy removal on rice and cement had been brainstormed by key policymakers in the Government and a consensus was reached with the views that it is prudent for Government to take that action so that they will be able to get the needed 10% quota to fund the “Feed Salone” initiative.
Credible sources have also hinted this medium that during the discussions, policymakers considered cement as non-essential commodities and that it is necessary for Government to remove subsidy on it based on the grounds majority of those using cement to construct houses are in the upper-class as they can afford to buy the products in whatever price if subsidy is being removed.
Our confidants also hinted this press that one of the reasons advanced for the removal of subsidy on rice is to discourage huge importation of rice into the country, and paved the way for people to embark on local agricultural productivity.
Meanwhile, during the launching of the “Feed Salone” initiative President Bio revealed that the “feed Salone” is more than just a development programme… it is a generational movement to propel Sierra Leone into an era of agriculture self-reliance, where every man, woman and child is a witness to and a participant in a flourishing economy marked by food security, job creation and overall economic prosperity”.
The President committed 10% of the national budget over the next five years for the “Feed Salone” initiative and also promised to establish a Presidential council on Agriculture which is to be chaired by himself to oversee the “successful implementation” of the programme.
