By Kelfala Kargbo
Freetown, 29th September, 2026 – The Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) has set a bold ambition to be fully rice sufficient in 2027 if the government funds its ongoing activities.
Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Idara Bangura, announced the plan at the ongoing bilateral discussions with the Ministry of Finance for the 2027 fiscal year.
“By February, nobody had given us a single cent, yet we fed the army with 60% of our rice. If you give us finance, we will feed the army and the police next year,” he stated. He added that the force has planted 4,237 hectares across four areas in the provinces.
He noted that the rice production has contributed 65,000 bags of rice, while the RSLAF needs 150,000 bags to feed itself in one year. This, he said, saves the government from spending on rice importation. He disclosed that the army has not used 10% of its 650,000 acres of arable land for plantation.
On rice importation, Bangura said the government spends half a billion dollars to import rice into the country. He asked that if given 10% of that amount, “the country will never buy rice again.”
Feed Salone, pioneered by the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, is the government’s flagship programme, through which it aims to feed itself and become food self-sufficient.
The Torma Bum Rice Project is a major source of rice production, with about 35,000 hectares of low-yielding rice currently under cultivation.
Bangura proposed that the RSLAF deliver Feed Salone between 2028 and 2030, noting that the country will never buy rice from outside.
“If we are made in charge of the government’s flagship, we will ensure we feed the country in the next two years,” he proposed.
During his latest visit to the Torma Bum rice farm, President Julius Maada Bio expressed hope that Sierra Leone will soon start to feed itself and export rice to other countries.
