Mainland to invest US$100M in Liberia’s agricultural sector

LIBERIA – China’s Mainland agribusiness group will invest US$100 million in Liberia’s agricultural sector starting in 2025, marking one of the largest commitments to the country’s food production and processing industries in recent years.

The announcement, made through the Ministry of Agriculture on August 13, outlines plans for major projects in cassava starch processing, cocoa and coffee processing, rice milling, sugar production, and food logistics.

 “The company plans to open a rice processing plant on a 1,000-hectare site in Fuamah, Bong County, by September or October 2025 to facilitate farmers’ access to markets. Cocoa processing will begin in February or March next year, to add value to a crop that is currently being exported in its raw state,” the Ministry stated.

Agriculture Minister Alexander Nuetah said the projects will help strengthen the sector, improve food security, and create steady markets for local farmers. “All these projects will increase farmers’ incomes by 20 to 30%. Our goal is to involve more than 150,000 growers over the next five years,” he said.

Mr. Zhu Chen, CEO of Mainland, added that the company will expand plantations and industrial facilities each year. “We will develop our own farms as well as those of the communities,” he said.

Mainland already operates five natural rubber processing plants and a palm oil unit in Côte d’Ivoire, along with a sunflower oil facility in Tanzania, which started operations in 2024. The Liberia projects will further expand its presence in Africa’s agri-food sector.

The investment comes as Liberia works to increase value addition in agriculture, a sector that contributes 33% to GDP and employs nearly 39% of its workforce.

In Tanzania, Mainland is on track to complete a sunflower oil plant in Dodoma by December 2024. The US$28 million project will process between 30,000 and 35,000 tonnes of sunflower seeds annually, depending on local supply.

It will include four silos with a combined capacity of 30,000 tonnes and a production line for animal feed from sunflower meal.

Diana Ladislaus Mwamanga, Investment Promotion Officer at the Tanzania Investment Centre, said the plant will help reduce the country’s heavy reliance on edible oil imports and create 500 permanent jobs.

Tanzania produces about 500,000 tonnes of sunflower seeds each year, with cultivation spread across more than 520,000 hectares, mainly in Singinda, Rukwa, Iringa, Dodoma, and Njombe. The country still depends on imports for around 64% of its edible oil needs.

Mainland’s projects in both Liberia and Tanzania reflect growing private sector involvement in African agriculture, with a focus on processing and market access to improve farmer incomes and reduce import dependency.

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