Liberia will ban exports of unprocessed natural rubber from July 2026 as part of efforts to develop domestic manufacturing, create jobs and increase value from one of the country’s key agricultural commodities.
President Joseph Boakai announced the measure in an executive order issued on June 26, with the ban taking effect on July 1, 2026, and remaining in place indefinitely.
The policy covers raw rubber products including natural latex, coagulum, cup lumps, bark scraps, ground scraps and other forms of unprocessed rubber.
The government said continued exports of raw rubber had limited opportunities for downstream industries, reducing potential gains in manufacturing, industrial employment, tax revenues and foreign exchange earnings.
Under the new rules, companies and individuals found violating the ban will face penalties, including the seizure of illegal shipments and administrative fines of up to $100,000 for companies and US$50,000 for smallholder producers for a first offence.
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Several government ministries have been tasked with monitoring exports, inspecting shipments and confiscating any unprocessed rubber intended for overseas markets.
The government said it would introduce new regulations within 30 days to improve small producers’ access to domestic markets, particularly farmers in remote areas.
It also plans to provide incentives for rubber-processing companies through tax breaks, preferential financing, infrastructure support and measures to encourage the production of finished goods such as tyres, gloves and footwear.
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The announcement follows a IS$36 million investment secured in May 2026 from Cambodian agro-industrial group Mainland to expand rubber processing capacity and improve integration of smallholder farmers into local value chains.
Liberia’s Central Bank said natural rubber production declined by 2.3 percent in 2025 due to lower output from smallholder farmers.
The country is West Africa’s third-largest natural rubber producer after Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria. Under its 2024-2030 National Agricultural Development Plan, Liberia aims to establish 20,000 hectares of new rubber plantations for smallholders and rehabilitate 10,000 hectares of existing plantations.
The government says the export ban is intended to transform Liberia from a supplier of raw materials into a producer of higher-value rubber products, strengthening industrial growth and increasing export earnings
