By Lawrence Williams
A new World Bank report has highlighted a major breakthrough in Sierra Leone’s agricultural sector, with Pee Cee Holdings (PCH) onion farm project expected to yield enough onions to meet local consumption demand.
PCH is well known for importing rice, flour, poultry, onions, and other goods. In recent years, the company has tried to reduce dependency on imports by producing more items locally. It already manufactures cooking oil and plastics, and now it has expanded into agriculture through a new arm called Pee Cee Agriculture.
Although the company had no farming experience before, it decided to partner with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to start a modern, mechanized onion farm in Lungi, Port Loko district. The project covers 646 hectares of land and uses full irrigation and advanced technology.
After more than three years of working together, Pee Cee Agriculture secured $12 million in financing from the IFC. The money was put into modern farming machines, storage facilities, and other important equipment.
The results so far have been impressive. Between 2023 and 2024, the project produced 45 tonnes of onions per hectare. This is ten times more than what was previously possible before the IFC partnership, the World Bank stated. The company has also created 60 full-time jobs, with about 150 contract workers hired during harvest time.
Once the project is fully completed, Pee Cee Agriculture is expected to produce over 40,000 tonnes of onions each year. This amount, the World Bank wrote, is enough to meet all of Sierra Leone’s onion demand, replacing nearly all imports. The onions grown locally are also sold at a much lower price than imported ones, making them more affordable for families.
According to the World Bank, this project will help improve food security, reduce foreign exchange spent on imports, create jobs, and support modern agriculture in rural communities. It also shows how private companies, with support from development partners like the IFC, can help build strong and reliable agricultural value chains in Sierra Leone.
