RUST ON THE 'ARREST' AGENDA: Boakai's Agriculture Budget Implodes, Threatening Economic Growth
- Michael T
- Dec 13
- 3 min read
MONROVIA — President Joseph Boakai's pledge to make agriculture the cornerstone of his "ARREST" agenda is facing a brutal reality check, as one of his own staunch Unity Party supporters, Senator Amara Konneh, delivers a scathing, data-driven critique of the proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget.
Konneh, a former Finance Minister and influential voice in the Senate, argues the budget is not only undermining economic growth but is systematically defunding the very sector that employs nearly half of all Liberians. His analysis, released on Friday on his official Facebook page, calls for the Senate to reject the House's version, which he says prioritizes bureaucratic comfort over real transformation.
The core of Konneh's indictment is a damning claim of fiscal indiscipline within the Executive Branch. The celebrated 154% increase in the agriculture budget for FY2025 proved to be a facade, a paper triumph nullified by poor execution and outright diversion.
The Squeeze: Of the FY2025 budget of $16.75 million, only $9.8 million was executed by October.
The Diversion: Crucially, Konneh reveals that $1.2 million designated for core agricultural projects was "redirected" to non-agriculture ministries, effectively weakening the sector's ability to drive growth.
"The headline jump was undermined by transfers away from agriculture," Konneh stated, "leaving budget execution at only $9.8M by October, with $1.2M diverted to non-agriculture ministries."
Catastrophic FY2026 Cut: Declining Focus
The proposed FY2026 budget confirms a clear retreat from the ARREST agenda's first pillar. Despite the total national budget crossing the $1.21 billion threshold for the first time, the agriculture sector's allocation is the only one to receive a cut.
The Reduction: Allocations are set to drop by 18% in FY2026, falling to $13.66 million.
The Priority Shift: This shrinkage reduces agriculture's share of the total national budget from a misleading 1.9% in FY2025 to a mere 1.1% in FY2026.
The most severe victim of this cut is the Value Chain Project, slashed from $8 million to $4.2 million, directly impacting support for crops like rubber, cocoa, and palm oil that sustain rural livelihoods.
Konneh’s breakdown exposes a fundamental institutional flaw: the government is funding management over measurable results.
The Central Agricultural Research Institute (CARI), the engine for innovation and food security, is facing a crisis of priorities:
CARI Allocation | FY2026 Budget | Observation |
Administration | ~$1.9 million | Nearing $2 million for internal overhead. |
Research | $300,000 | A fraction of administration, crippling innovation capacity. |
Furthermore, investment in Rubber Development—a key diversification opportunity—remains below $150,000 annually. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Agriculture's own Administration & Management expenses rise steadily, absorbing over $2.4 million in FY2026.
The National Agriculture Development Plan (NADP), the government's highly publicized strategy to achieve 70% national rice self-sufficiency within five years, is effectively being starved of resources. The six-year, ambitious plan requires an estimated $718 million. However, between FY2024 and FY2026, the government has only committed a total of $35 million. This stark gap suggests a "bold planning without strong implementation," ensuring the self-sufficiency goal is unattainable under current funding levels.
The Senate’s Mandate: Correct the Oversight
Senator Konneh’s final warning is directed at his colleagues: The Senate must not concur with the House version of the budget.
"Agriculture, the first pillar of President Boakai’s ARREST agenda, is the only sector whose budget was reduced in the draft 2026 budget, despite a billion-dollar national budget," Konneh asserts. "It is now up to us in the Senate to correct this."
His demand is for the Legislature to enforce budget credibility by increasing funding, mandating disciplined implementation that prevents fund diversion, and rebalancing allocations toward research, extension services, and value chain development.
Only a stable, well-executed budget can prevent the ARREST agenda from being reduced to a hollow political slogan, allowing the sector to fulfill its critical role in lifting Liberia’s rural communities out of poverty and propelling national development.
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