"Rubber Farmers Union Accuses Agriculture Minister of Orchestrating 'Fake Farmers' Welcome for President Boakai"

Monrovia, Liberia:The National Rubber Brokers and Farmers Union of Liberia has leveled serious allegations against Agriculture Minister Alexander Nuetah, accusing him of mobilizing individuals posing as smallholder farmers to welcome President Joseph Nyuma Boakai in Buchanan during the Independence Day celebrations, a move the Union claims is intended to misrepresent the concerns of Liberia's rubber sector.

The Union's President, James W. Sayekea, alleged that the Minister has arranged for T-shirts bearing the identity of smallholder farmers to be distributed to individuals who are not genuine rubber farmers in order to create the impression that the sector supports the Ministry's position.

"We have received credible information that the Minister is mobilizing people under the name of smallholder farmers to welcome the President, even though they are not the real producers who sustain Liberia's rubber industry," Sayekea alleged.

Sayekea further claimed that the Agriculture Minister convened a rubber sector meeting on Thursday, July 23, but deliberately excluded recognized rubber farmers, brokers, and planters who have long been involved in the industry and directly affected by current challenges.

According to him, "Not a single representative of the genuine smallholder farmers from Liberia's fifteen counties was invited to participate in that meeting. Those who should have had a voice were left out."

The Union President argued that the alleged actions come at a time when Executive Order No. 146 remains under consideration by the House of Representatives, warning that any attempt to present what he described as a false picture of the rubber sector could undermine ongoing legislative discussions.

Sayekea also urged individuals allegedly being recruited to participate in the planned welcome ceremony to reject the arrangement, saying "They should distance themselves from any activity that misrepresents the true rubber farmers whose livelihoods depend on the industry."

The Union has meanwhile called on the House of Representatives' Committee on Agriculture to scrutinize any outcome arising from the reported meeting, insisting that decisions affecting the country's rubber sector should reflect the views of legitimate stakeholders rather than what it described as selected participants.

The Ministry of Agriculture had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of publication. The claims made by the National Rubber Brokers and Farmers Union of Liberia remain allegations, and the Ministry is expected to respond as public attention continues to focus on the concerns raised by the Union ahead of the President's visit to Buchanan.