MONROVIA, LIBERIA-At least twenty-three employees of the Agriculture Ministry have departed Liberia to participate in a one-month training in China on agricultural product processing and preservation technology.

The training is being organized by a leading food and innovation organization, China National Research Institute of Food and Fermentation Industries Corporation.

An Agriculture Ministry release said those expected to participate in the training include County and District Agriculture Coordinators across Liberia’s fifteen counties.

According to the release, the participants will be drilled in post-harvest handling, food preservation, and value addition, among others.

The initiative is part of Liberia-China cooperation aimed at advancing food security and agricultural development that aligns with the Liberian Government’s vision.

At the same time, the ministry and partners have confirmed the resurfacing of the caterpillar invasion in two counties.

According to the ministry, the invasion is taking place in major farming communities in Nimba and Lofa Counties, destroying the crops of farmers.

Deputy Agriculture Minister for Technical Services, Slomon Hedd-Williams, said:” Though they are at a low pace, a special task force is being set up to move into the affected areas to contain them from spreading to other counties.”

Minister Hedd-Williams told ELBC on Sunday, June 29, 2025, that the continuously invading caterpillars are threatening the farming prospects of farmers.

Deputy Minister Solomon Hedd-Williams disclosed that since the infestation in 1990, it has affected twelve of the fifteen counties of Liberia.