Published: August 13, 2025
MONROVIA — Chinese agribusiness giant Mainland Group has announced plans to invest nearly US$100 million in Liberia over the next five years, unveiling six major agricultural projects aimed at boosting food production and farmer incomes.
Mainland Group President and CEO Zhu Chen outlined the investment plan during a meeting with Agriculture Minister Dr. Alexander Nuetah in Monrovia.
“We will have around six projects,” Zhu said. “First project is cassava production processing. After start, we will do the cassava rice. We will start soon, maybe September, maximum maybe October. And at the same time, we will start the rice processing.”
Zhu said he and Nuetah recently toured a rice plantation near Kakata, calling it “a very beautiful area” with high-quality varieties. The company also plans to enter cocoa processing to increase value addition in Liberia’s cocoa industry.
“Right now, they export the cacao beans. They didn’t do anything; they export the cacao beans. So how to increase the income of the farmers? You need to increase the value of the productions,” Zhu said. “We will collect the cacao beans from the farmers, and we will process them to become the cacao mass. After cacao mass, you will do the cacao butter and cacao powder. We want to expand partner farmers to over 150,000 farmers. That is minimum. This is our target in the next five years.”
He estimated that fixed-asset investments — including warehouses and machinery — will total between US$26 million and US$28 million, with working capital costs projected at US$60 million to US$70 million.
“So totally around maybe US$100 million with everything,” Zhu said.
Founded in China, Mainland Group operates across multiple global agricultural value chains, including natural rubber, palm oil, edible oils, grains, starch and cotton. In Africa, it has invested in processing plants in Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania, employing thousands while building local capacity.
China Pledges More Farm Machinery
Minister Nuetah also announced additional support from the Chinese government. He said the initial pledge of 288 pieces of agricultural equipment had been increased by 16, bringing the total to 304.
“For each of our mechanization service centers, we’re going to have eight pieces of tractors, semi-trailer tractors that will be distributed across there,” Nuetah said, adding that diesel engine generators will be supplied to power the machines.
Delivery is expected by the end of October, contingent on the completion of mechanization service centers. “They do not want the centers not completed and the machines are in and then they are loitering around,” Nuetah said.
He thanked Mainland Group and the Chinese government for strengthening bilateral agricultural ties. “This investment will go a long way in improving the lives of our people,” he said. “With Mainland coming in, I think it’s going to be an opportunity for farmers to scale up production so Liberia can produce the food that we eat. We are a rice-eating country.”
Lawmakers Back the Deal
Rep. Alfred H. Flomo, chair of the House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, called the investment a positive step for Liberia’s struggling farm sector.
“Every country that needs to grow, you need to invest in the agriculture sector,” Flomo said, comparing Liberia’s reliance on extractive industries to countries like Ghana that have diversified into agriculture.
He urged stability to attract more foreign investment and said the legislature is working with the Ministry of Agriculture to revive the long-defunct agricultural development bank.
“You cannot be investing in the agriculture sector if you don’t have a banking system that will support the sector,” Flomo said. “I’m working with the minister and the ministry to make sure that we have the agriculture development in this country hugely so all of us can benefit.”
If fully implemented, the Mainland Group projects could become one of the largest private-sector agricultural investments in Liberia in recent years, potentially reshaping rural livelihoods and advancing food self-sufficiency.
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