Despite Rice Production Reaches 1,441051 Metric Tons… SALONE STILL SPENDS $151M TO IMPORT RICE

This could be serious irony on the part of Sierra Leone as efforts by the government of Sierra Leone in rice production have been yeilding dividend but at the same time the country spends over $151M.
This was revealed by President Bio as he talked about his flagship project of Feed Salone in his State Opening Addres
The President stated that food security affects every household and underpins economic stability and that ⁠agriculture is also a major opportunity for jobs, investment and rural transformation.
He revealed that ⁠ ⁠In 2025, rice production reached 1,441,015 metric tonnes, representing an increase of 4.2 per cent over the previous year.
He stated that cultivated land expanded to 661,016 hectares and that average yields rose to 2.37 metric tonnes per hectare, producing more rice from our fields.
He also stated that rice self-sufficiency rose from 68% 2023 to 73% in 2025, noting that the rice import bill fell from USD 177 million in 2022 to USD 159 million, saving more than USD 18 million in foreign exchange and easing pressure on our reserves.
This statement by the President that Sierra Leone still spends over $151M to import with some people say the country is far away from reaching self suffiency and achieving the promise of FEED SALONE.
⁠However the President said that they are supporting 21,810 hectares of priority crops.