Bong County Farmers Cry Foul Over Tax Burden on Imported Equipment

Bosien District, Bong County: A group of farmers in Bong County Electoral District #1 under the nomenclature Kesseh Foundation are raising alarms over what they described as unfair taxation on a vital piece of agricultural machinery they’ve imported to boost food production in the county.

According to Emmanuel Minifa, board chair of the foundation, a multi-purpose front-end loader that arrived at the Freeport of Monrovia in December 2024 has been stuck due to rising taxes imposed by the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA)—despite a formal request for duty-free clearance made months ago.

“We brought this equipment to help us transform farming in our district,” Minifa said. “But instead of support, we’re facing more roadblocks from the very system that should be helping us grow food.”

Minifa argues that the equipment is central to the Foundation’s plans to develop 30 acres of lowland for rice and over 50 acres for cassava during this farming season.

With the planting season fast ticking away, the delay is threatening to derail their agricultural activities in Central Liberia

The farmers are now appealing directly to the Ministry of Agriculture to intervene and facilitate the equipment’s release under the provisions of Executive Order No. 139.

Executive Order No. 139 is a key policy recently signed by President Joseph Boakai to lift tariffs on agricultural equipment in line with his government’s ARREST agenda to revamp Liberia’s farming sector.

The Executive Order is part of a broader push to remove barriers and encourage mechanized farming across Liberia, where food insecurity and dependence on imports remain critical national concerns.

“The president has made agriculture a top priority,” Minifa noted. “But if policies like the Executive Order are not enforced at every level, farmers like us will continue to struggle.”

With the rainy season fast approaching and thousands of smallholder farmers relying on the success of initiatives like the Kesseh Foundation’s, the community is urging swift government action to uphold the spirit of the new agricultural reforms.