Published: June 16, 2026
MENOWAN TOWN, Grand Bassa County – The Ministry of Agriculture, in partnership with Mainland Group, has unveiled a proposed US$36 million initiative to help Liberian farmers establish and own rubber plantations, a move officials say could reshape the country’s rubber industry and put greater economic power in the hands of local producers.
The proposal was announced during a recent visit to Menowan Town by Agriculture Minister J. Alexander Nuetah and Mainland Group Chief Executive Officer Zhu Chen. The initiative is expected to support smallholder farmers over five years through improved planting materials, technical assistance, training and other resources needed to develop sustainable farms. The Ministry said the project aims to expand Liberian ownership in a sector historically dominated by concessionaires and foreign investors.
“We want companies to support you individually to grow your own rubber,” Nuetah told residents. “We want Liberians to own the rubber plantations and make the money for themselves.”
Nuetah said the program will begin in selected communities before expanding nationwide, and that empowering smallholder farmers is central to the government’s broader push to raise agricultural production, reduce poverty and create rural jobs.
Officials said Mainland Group plans to build a rubber processing factory in Grand Bassa County once production reaches commercial levels. The facility would process locally produced rubber, create jobs and help Liberia retain more value from one of its leading exports.
“Mainland Group is not the biggest company in the world, but we will do our best,” Chen said. “Our hope is that, little by little and year by year, communities across Liberia and farmers throughout the country will own and manage their own rubber plantations.”
Residents and agricultural stakeholders welcomed the proposal, having long argued that many rural farmers lack access to financing, quality planting materials, technical expertise and markets. If successful, the Ministry said, the initiative could mark a major shift in the industry by giving local farmers greater ownership and a larger share of the wealth it generates.
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