By: Austin S Fallah – A True Son of Liberia, Africa and the Planet Earth Soil:
Never Again Should Liberians Sell Their Birthrights.
Never Forget the Biblical Story of Esau and Jacob:
Food staples are the bedrock of any society, a fundamental human need, often culturally central, and in many cases, deeply political.
The saying, “One who controls your stomach can control your freedom,” resonates profoundly when we examine the case of Liberia and its relationship with rice.
As the staple food of Liberia, rice holds more than mere nutritional value.
It carries economic weight, cultural significance, and political power.
The Republic of Liberia, a nation founded on principles of liberty, echoes the histories of oppression and the persistent fight for sovereignty.
However, it is this very fight for freedom that is jeopardized by the stronghold foreign entities have over the Liberian rice market.
This intellectual discourse argues that foreign control over rice, Liberia’s staple food, serves as a modern yoke on the country’s autonomy, thereby presenting a compelling case for promoting domestic agricultural development and reducing reliance on external players.
Foreign Monopolies and Dependency: A Historical Glimpse:
To understand the relationship between rice and freedom in Liberia, we must delve into the nation’s historical context.
Throughout history, colonial powers have employed strategies of control that included dominating local food markets to subjugate populations.
Post-independence, many African nations continued to grapple with forms of economic imperialism, whereby foreign corporations and countries wielded substantial influence over local markets, including essential food supplies.
In the Liberian context, rice is not just a preferred dietary option, but it is an existential necessity, the lack of which has previously led to social unrest, such as we know the infamous Rice Riots of 1979 and many others.
These riots laid bare the societal unrest fermented by perceived and real imbalances in the access to and control of rice supplies.
They were a formidable precursor highlighting the current scenario, a nation’s uneasy reliance on foreign entities to feed its population.
The Present Landscape: Rice as a Control Mechanism:
As of the present day, Liberia imports a significant majority of its rice from Asian countries, primarily India and Thailand.
The supply chain, from production to distribution, is monopolized by a few foreign companies that exert disproportionate control over the market.
This monopolistic setup enfeebles Liberia’s ability to negotiate prices, creates a dependency that can be manipulated for geopolitical or economic gains by supplier nations, and stifles domestic agricultural development.
Food security, an essential component of national security, is imperiled when a country can not independently safeguard the continuum of its food supplies.
If supplier nations decide to hike prices or cut off supplies, the resulting scarcity could precipitate not just an economic crisis but social upheaval.
The Liberian government finds itself in a position where policy decisions may be unduly influenced by the need to placate these foreign rice suppliers to maintain stability a direct impingement on the country’s freedom to act in its best interest.
In 1997, as a senior student of economics at the University of Liberia, I published an article challenging a then-member of the Transitional Legislative Assembly (TLA) Emmanuel Lomax, who suggested that Bridgeway Corporation should be granted a rice importation monopoly.
With the might of the pen, intellectualism, and academism, I called on him to produce prudent economic reasons why should “Liberians Sell Their Birthrights for the sake of Rice To a Foreign Enterprise,-UL Student Against Rice Monopoly”, he failed to advance?
His suggestion died upon arrival at the TLA.
See the attached Inquirer Newspaper Article below. UL Student Against Rice Monoply.
Rice, Monopolies, and The Path to Autonomy
In discussing the control over Liberia’s staple food, one can not look past the economic hindrances that such control imposes.
For Liberian farmers and entrepreneurs, the rice market appears as a fortified citadel, impregnable due to the economies of scale and preferential policies favoring imported rice.
The monopolies held by foreign companies thwart the entry of local players, stunting economic diversification and reinforcing a monoculture of dependency.
This scenario not only places limitations on the economic opportunities for local farmers but also perpetuates a cycle where the knowledge and skills necessary for rice cultivation remain underdeveloped.
The long-term effect is the erosion of Liberia’s agricultural base, a sector vital to the nation’s sustainable development and autonomy.
Liberia’s Call to Action: Seizing the Reins of Control:
It stands to reason that for Liberia to reclaim its autonomy, it must take concerted steps to wrest control of its staple food supply from foreign monopolies.
This is a multifaceted approach that involves policy shifts, investment in agricultural infrastructure, education, and trade reform.
Investment in rice cultivation, inclusive of research into better-yielding and resilient rice varieties, agricultural training, and improved farming techniques, is vital.
Supporting local farmers with subsidies, access to credit, and marketing opportunities would gradually build a homegrown rice industry capable of meeting national demand.
Policy reforms aimed at providing a fairer playing field for local rice relative to imported varieties, including import duties, could incentivize consumers to purchase homegrown rice.
Both public and private sectors must engage in this endeavor, fostering a collaborative environment that upholds national interests without resorting to protectionism that flouts international trade laws.
Cultivating Food Sovereignty: An End to Economic Imperialism:
The fight against foreign rice monopolies is more than an economic battle, it is a struggle for food sovereignty.
Food sovereignty transcends food security by conceding that it is not enough for food to be available.
It must also be produced in a manner that empowers the people and the economy.
Liberians must be at the helm of their food production systems for food to be an element of liberation rather than a tool of subjugation.
In this liberation lies the potential for a renaissance of Liberian culture, as rice, integral to traditional diets and festivities, becomes a symbol of national pride and self-sufficiency.
The return of rice to Liberian hands could, in essence, represent a return to the core values of freedom upon which the nation was founded.
A Vision for Liberation Through Self-Sufficiency:
While the current status quo paints a bleak picture of dependency, the future holds potential for change.
The journey toward reclaiming Liberia’s autonomy through control of its staple food production will undoubtedly be arduous and fraught with challenges both internal and external.
Such transformation, however, is quintessential for a truly independent Liberia, as a nation capable of feeding its population without the looming shadow of foreign agribusinesses dictating price, supply, and, by extension, policy.
This vision for an autonomous Liberia governed by its people and for its people begins with the grain of rice.
The grain, so small in isolation, collectively wields the power to upend foreign rice monopolies and place the reins of freedom firmly in Liberian hands.
Only then can the people of this proud nation carve out their destiny, unencumbered by the constraints of food-induced dependency.
It is this vision of autonomy and self-sufficiency that heralds a new chapter in the Liberian pursuit of happiness and prosperity.
