Published: March 9, 2026
CLUB HOUSE, Wee Statutory District — Agriculture Minister Alexander Nuetah has acknowledged that the Liberian government still owes more than US$200,000 in crop compensation to farmers in communities surrounding the Liberia Agriculture Company (LAC), pledging to take the long-standing dispute to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to settle the outstanding payments.
Speaking during a community engagement meeting with residents in Wee Statutory District over the weekend, Minister Nuetah said the unpaid balance dates back to a 2004 compensation agreement reached during the expansion of LAC’s rubber plantation.
“We still owe the people the balance of the money that was agreed upon in 2004 — more than two hundred thousand United States dollars,” Nuetah told community leaders. “I will take your concerns to the President so that the government can determine how to settle the remaining payment.”
The meeting, organized by LAC’s Sustainability Department, brought together company officials, government representatives and traditional leaders to discuss grievances linked to crops destroyed during the plantation’s expansion more than two decades ago.
Plantation Tour Precedes Dialogue
Prior to the meeting, Min. Nuetah toured sections of the LAC plantation where company officials showcased rubber production activities, including nursery operations and improved rubber seedlings.
During the visit, the minister inspected several rubber clones being cultivated at the plantation and asked technical questions about their potential benefits for smallholder farmers.
Agriculture officials say improved rubber planting materials could help boost productivity and farmers’ incomes if introduced more widely across Liberia’s rubber-growing regions.
LAC General Manager Naveen Madan told the minister that the plantation has undergone extensive rebuilding since Liberia’s civil conflict.
“Our concession is old, but much of the plantation had to be rebuilt after the war,” Madan said. “Today we are beginning to see the results of those efforts.”
He said the company has also strengthened its Sustainability Department to deepen engagement with surrounding communities.
According to Madan, LAC is surrounded by 46 villages, which the company has grouped into 10 clusters to facilitate regular dialogue with community leaders.
“We cannot operate as an island of prosperity while the communities around us remain undeveloped,” he said. “Our approach is to carry the communities along with us.”
Farmers Raise Compensation Concerns
During the dialogue session, residents and traditional leaders raised concerns about compensation for crops destroyed during the plantation’s expansion in the early 2000s.
Community representative Paul Jabba told the minister that many residents lost crops, homes and farmland during the expansion but received little or no compensation.
According to Jabba, some farmers were paid as little as US$10 or US$25 after houses were demolished and crops destroyed.
“Our houses were broken down, and some people were given only ten or twenty-five dollars,” Jabba said. “Cassava, palm trees, and other crops were destroyed, and many of them were never properly paid for.”
Jabba also presented documents to the minister, which he said contained earlier assessments and agreements relating to the compensation dispute.
Community leaders urged the government to intervene and ensure that the outstanding payments are settled.
Government Explains Original Compensation Agreement
Responding to the concerns, Nuetah said a government committee established in the early 2000s assessed compensation for crops destroyed during the plantation’s expansion.
According to the minister, the committee recommended US$6 compensation per mature tree.
Under the agreement, LAC was responsible for paying US$3 per tree while the Government of Liberia committed to paying the remaining US$3.
“Based on the documentation we have, LAC met its obligation under the agreement,” Nuetah said.
He noted that the government began paying its share of the compensation in 2008, disbursing more than US$67,000 to affected farmers.
However, the full amount owed has not yet been paid.
Nuetah told residents that the government will review the outstanding balance and determine how the remaining compensation can be settled.
“Our focus now should be how the people receive the remaining balance that was agreed upon,” he said.
Farmers Seek Agricultural Support
Following the meeting, Min. Nuetah and his delegation traveled to Compound Three in Wee Statutory District, where farmers engaged in livestock production, vegetable farming, rice cultivation and tree crop production presented additional challenges affecting their agricultural activities.
Farmers called on the Ministry of Agriculture to support them with equipment such as power tillers, rice mills and other agricultural machinery to improve production and processing.
Nuetah assured farmers that the ministry will work with development partners to strengthen support for smallholder agriculture.
County Tour
The visit forms part of the minister’s county assessment tour covering Grand Bassa, Rivercess, Grand Kru and Sinoe counties, where the ministry is engaging farmers and evaluating agricultural projects.
During the tour, Min. Nuetah also inspected abandoned Ministry of Agriculture facilities in Grand Bassa County alongside regional and county agriculture coordinators to assess their potential rehabilitation.
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