By Bill W. Cooper
The Consortium of Rubber Sector Actors of Liberia (CORSAL) is calling on President Joseph Boakai to lift the ban on exportation of unprocessed rubber from the country.
CORSAL made the call yesterday, February 14, 2024, during its one-day forum held with rubber actors in Nimba County.
It can be recalled that former President George Weah, before leaving office, issued an Executive Order 124, calling for the ban of exportation of unprocessed rubber from Liberia.
But CORSAL, through its Chairperson, James W. Sayekea, described the Executive Order by the former President as being “wicked and evil”.
He explained that the Executive Order is strangulating the Liberian rubber farmers and all other actors in the sector to promote foreign investment.
“So, we therefore, unanimously, call on President Boakai to lift the ban on the exportation of unprocessed rubber and that is the reason why we called this forum, to demonstrate the negative impacts of the former President’s Executive Order,” Sayekea said.
According to him, when the processors decide not to buy rubber from the Liberian rubber farmers, it is not the government’s work to force the processors to buy from a specific farmer.
Meanwhile, the CORSAL’s day-long forum with actors of the rubber sector in Nimba was held under the Theme: “Promoting free market system on the basis of willing seller, willing buyer, a way forward for sustainable economic growth.”
The forum brought together over 150 participants from Saclepea and other parts of the country, Including smallholder rubber farmers, rubber brokers, rubber truckers, and rubber exporters, among others.
Also, the purpose of the day-long forum was to bring together actors of the Rubber Sector of Liberia and explain to them the importance of a free-market system anchored on the basis of willing seller, willing buyer.
