Acting DG Dan T. Saryee Drives Transformative Reforms in Liberia’s Agricultural Sector
Since assuming the role of Acting Director General of the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA) in June 2025, Honorable Dan T. Saryee has swiftly initiated a series of comprehensive reforms, injecting efficiency, transparency, and vital decentralization into the agency. His leadership is rapidly repositioning LACRA and, by extension, the nation’s key agricultural exports, for greater stability and international compliance.
A Foundation of Professionalism and Transparency
Taking the helm amidst administrative challenges, Acting DG Saryee’s immediate priority was to stabilize the work environment and cultivate a professional, high-productivity workforce. His focus on modernizing internal machinery has been pivotal in restoring trust and accountability.
Creation of the Commercial and Marketing Department: A dedicated office has been established to handle all licensing and shipment activities. This structural change injects crucial transparency and accountability, ensuring timely service delivery for exporters and partners.
Enhanced Connectivity: Recognizing the staff’s critical need for global communication, the Acting DG successfully instructed the installation of Starlink Wi-Fi Internet across LACRA facilities. This move significantly enhances staff performance and enables efficient communication with global partners in the cocoa business.
Decentralization and Field Support
A core tenet of Acting DG Saryee’s vision is to shift LACRA’s focus beyond the Freeport of Monrovia, ensuring its presence is tangibly felt in the counties where farmers operate. To drastically improve field presence and service delivery, the administration distributed over 15 Yamaha motorbikes to quality control officers and county coordinators across five key agricultural counties: Lofa, Bong, Nimba, Grand Gedeh, and Rivergee.
His administration also renovated one of our warehouses in Voijama to serve as a secure storehouse, offering farmers a safe place to hold their produce while awaiting buyers.
Acting DG Saryee has successfully addressed long-standing issues concerning both LACRA’s physical assets and the protection of local producers.
Following complaints of harassment, the Acting DG initiated successful collaborative efforts with the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA). As a result, local cocoa buyers and farmers are no longer harassed or made to pay custom duty on locally produced cocoa. This significant victory supports domestic trade and producer livelihoods.
Addressing the complex dispute over properties inherited from the defunct LPMC, the administration successfully obtained the deed for the Gbarnga Estate. The DG is actively engaging with original donor families to renegotiate and formalize ownership for other vital estates in Nimba, Grand Gedeh, and Lofa Counties—a crucial step for the agency’s decentralization drive.
A Major Milestone for Global Market Access: EUDR Compliance
Under DG Saryee’s leadership, LACRA has achieved a critical national milestone in partnership with the European Forest Institute (EFI): the successful validation of Liberia’s Forest Map.
This validation is the foundational and most critical step in Liberia’s comprehensive strategy to achieve compliance with the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), safeguarding access to vital international markets for its agricultural exports, especially cocoa.
“The mapping of our forest is a key component in forming a National Traceability System,” said DG Saryee. “This process will help rescue Liberia’s agricultural economy by securing our access to international markets.”
The validated map provides an up-to-date overview for forest management and effective land-use planning, serving as the basis for a traceability system that will link commodities to deforestation-free land. As an experienced, quality-driven professional in logistics/operations and development planning, Acting DG Saryee’s efforts are ensuring that Liberia’s agricultural future is built on a foundation of sustainability, accountability, and global competitiveness.
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