Twenty-One
Tractors For Food Security Programme
As
bilateral co-operation between Iran and Sierra
Leone strengthens, twenty-one tractors have
been presented to President Ahmad Tejan Kabbah
by the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of
Iran as part of his country's contribution to
assisting government in its food security programme.
Giving
a brief background account to the event at the
handing-over ceremony at the Presidential Lodge
in Freetown, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Dr. Mohamed Lamin Kamara, said that the tractors
were acquired under the Trade, Economic and
Technical cooperation agreement between Sierra
Leone and the Islamic Republic of Iran. He said
that Iran had offered a soft loan of 1.5 million
dollars under the agreement and part of this
money was used by government to purchase the
tractors.
Dr.
Kamara explained that when President Kabbah
took office in 1996, he made a visit to Iran
to seek Trade, Economic and Technical cooperation
and had discussions with the Head of State on
possible areas of assistance from the government
of Iran.
This
visit was later on followed by the visit of
the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation, Mr. Momodu Koroma, in 2002. In
2003 also the Agriculture Minister, Dr. Sama
Monde, with a fifteen-member delegation visited
Iran to attend the first Iranian-African Forum,
where he also had discussions on the most urgent
needs in the agricultural sector of the country.
The
tractors are all results of efforts of the President
and his Ministers in furthering the cooperation
agreement. The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry
and Food Security, Dr. Sama Monde, while expressing
his appreciation for the tractors said that
the tractors were of a very good quality with
output that is good for any terrain in this
country. Dr. Monde said that he had the opportunity
of visiting a tractor factory in Iran and saw
that the technology used were the latest, and
that the tractors had packing licences from
the United Kingdom. Seventeen of the tractors,
he said, had a capacity of 80 horsepower and
four had a capacity of a 110 horsepower. He
promised to send the tractors immediately to
the field to complement whatever is available
on the field so as to boost government's vision
of achieving food security by 2007.
Presenting
the tractors to President Kabbah, the Iranian
Ambassador to Sierra Leone, H.E. Seyyed Ali
Tahaghghoghi, said the tractors were acquired
under a development co-operation agreement and
that his presence at the ceremony was a manifestation
of their willingness to work with the government
of Sierra Leone
Ambassador
Tahaghghoghi expressed his pleasure over the
manner in which the tractors were exhibited
along the streets of Freetown and said this
was a sign of great appreciation. He further
stated that his country was following with keen
interest the efforts President Kabbah was making
in rebuilding Sierra Leone and expressed hopes
for the enhancement of the friendly relationship
between the two counties.
Receiving
the keys to the tractors President Ahmad Tejan
Kabbah said he was grateful to the Head of State
of Iran for exhibiting so much interest in assisting
Sierra Leone in pursuing its food security drive.
He said food security was number one priority
after security. This gesture, President Kabbah
said, was a very good seal to further strengthen
the excellent relationship between the two countries
which started since his assumption of office
in 1996.
Speaking
about his visit to Iran, President Kabbah said
he was very impressed when he visited an industrial
area and saw farmers growing high quality vegetables
right in the middle of the desert. These tractors,
he said, are a result of discussions he had
with the Head of State of Iran.
President
Kabbah told the Minister of Agriculture to make
sure that the tractors are sent to areas most
in need of them, particularly the rice producing
areas, so as to ensure maximum benefit from
their use.
-End-
