ILO Intervention Boost Vegetable Farming in Port Loko District

Freetown, Sierra Leone: Vegetables are vital ingredients to our daily diets, yet it is unaffordable for most families in Sierra Leone, this is due to poor harvest and lack of proper storage facilities to store them fresh in readiness for market. Similarly, Out-growers face challenges in procuring seedlings and producing vegetables at accordable costs across the country which has been a major setback in the vegetable industry in Sierra Leone. Port Loko district, located in the northern part of Sierra Leone produce fresh and healthy vegetables, and most women, and youths living in its environs are also known to engage in vegetable farming. These women and youths face setbacks which include capital, seeds, equipment, as well as land to farm.

Bokatala Investment located in Lungi in Port Loko district, is an Agri-business company that buys and sells organic vegetables. Before the ILO’s intervention, the company was working with twenty out-grower farmers with a limited supply of seeds to engage in vegetable farming. Due to the limited resources available, the out-growers were only able to produce and sell four tons of onions annually. This created a gap in the livelihoods of these women and their families.

According to Mr. Alimamy Bangura, the CEO of Bokatala Investment, through the support of the ILO Opportunity Salone programme, the company has been able to increase the number of vegetables growers from 45 to 125 farmers whom the company supports with good seeds, basic tools, and direct training on agricultural best practices for business growth.

Bokatala Investment distributes these supplies free to the farmers to help scale production processes to meet market demands and contributes to the creation of decent jobs for sustainable development and social justice for all."

Mr. Alimamy Bangura, Bokatala Investment

Dora Bangura, Chairlady of the women farmers group acknowledged that the support received from the EU and ILO through Bokatala has contributed greatly to their processes and has increased production from 4 to 15 tons of onions; According to her

we can now pay school fees with ease for our children, as most of us are single parents and widows. Before the ILO’s intervention, we used all our profits to purchase expensive fertilizers, and still suffer from post-harvest losses if we fail to sell immediately after harvest, due poor storage. This intervention is a blessing to us as working with Bokatala has reduced the burden on our business, like taking of loans after losses to remain in business. While appreciating the ILO contribution, we are looking forward to more support and more excited to supply our customers with fresh produce from our farms."

Dora Bangura

Bokatala is now buying these vegetables from these out-growers to sell to bigger clients in the cities and have expanded its customer base to other areas. Bokatala has also constructed a storage facility for preservation of about twenty tons of onions for a longer period. The unit powered by solar energy and has contributed to the reduction of post-harvest losses.
Bokatala has acquired about ten plots of land to construct a proper greenhouse facility with modern technology for the preservation of diverse types of vegetables. This Opportunity Salone Programme has helped to change lives through its support to SMEs.