The Former Chief Minister to President Bio who also served as Foreign Minister; both in the first term of the Bio presidency, has on September 5, 2023, announced the launching of a brand new website for his Agriculture and Rice business named EcoRice Production Company Ltd (ERPC).
Professor David J. Francis made the announcement on social media thus: “I am pleased to announce the official launch of our new EcoRice Website at www.ecorice-sl.com” Francis wrote adding that in addition to EcoRice’s core business of large-scale mechanised Rice production & sale, they also provide Agro-Business Services which he listed thus: Large-scale Rice Milling Services and Agriculture Machinery for Hire including: (a) Tractors with Ploughs, (b) Power Tillers for IVS, (c) Crawler Tractors for IVS, (d) Combined Harvesters, (e) Rice Planters for IVS and (f) Excavator.
Professor Francis also informed that EcoRise can provide Storage plus Warehouse with Security.
He urged visitors to check the Website & then contact the EcoRice Team if in need any of the aforementioned services.
Francis reminded that his team was ready to serve as the Nation heads “into the Planting Season!”
On the website itself, Francis was listed as the Founder & Group Chairman of ERPC which is billed as “the largest Inland Valley Swamp rice producer in Sierra Leone”.
Penning his thoughts further, Francis welcomed visitors with a Welcome Statement that went as follows:
STATEMENT:
We are delighted to present our vision, mission, and impact on this platform.
“As rice serves as a staple food in Sierra Leone and much of West Africa—with a heavy reliance on global imports—our vision is “Getting Rice Right as a Business.” We aim to leverage mechanization, innovation, and technology to maximize efficient, high-quality rice production and foster sustainable food security.
Our focus on food systems provides a broad array of opportunities for the engagement, employment, and skills training of women and youth across various local and global contexts.
Through our strategic vision and initiatives, we seek to promote and fortify meaningful employment for women and youth. We’re on a mission to shift the perception of agriculture from a subsistence activity to a profitable and appealing business venture, thereby influencing mindsets within our communities.
Our ultimate vision is to revolutionize our domestic farming sector by creating efficient, innovative, and sustainable mechanized solutions. We aspire to build a resilient and profitable agro-business that stimulates healthy economic development. Our goal is to make our staple food, rice, accessible, affordable, high-quality, and nutritious for Sierra Leone and the broader West Africa region.
Our mission is to lead in the agricultural rice value-chain Industry. We are on a transformative journey to ensure Sierra Leone and West Africa attain food sufficiency, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union Agenda 2063.
Together, we believe we can create a future where everyone has access to nutritious, local, and affordable rice.
