His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has taken part in a high-level session on global challenges to food security, the indigenous knowledge systems and their applications, emphasising that climate change has a direct impact on food production.

Asked by the moderator, Ms. Zainab Al Bakri, what his take was on the impact of climate change on agriculture, the President said, “Erratic weather patterns affect the agriculture sector. Lately we have had a lot of flooding and that is impacting how we can quickly produce food for our people”.

His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio was in a panel with other leaders, including His Excellency Hakainde Hichilema, President of Zambia and Mr Jaidev Shroff, CEO of UPL Jaidev, a well-recognised global leader in the Chemical and agri-inputs industry with over 30 years experience in India and internationally.

Speaking on the state of agriculture in Sierra Leone, the President said they had to find a way to strike a balance between sustainable agriculture, one that would support the environment and one that would be able to produce enough.

“Indigenous methods of food production remain paramount. We have most conditions necessary to embark on food security in our country, but we need certain infrastructure and support systems in place,” he noted.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Republic of Sierra Leone State House.