By Sulayman Waan
Gambia For All (GAF) leader has said his party is committed to invest in the agriculture in order to help the country attain its self-food sufficient.
Speaking to The Voice in an exclusive interview at his home in Fajara, Bakary Bunja Dabo said: “we will make sure that public resources will go as a matter of priority into agriculture. Not only agriculture but it will be given priority.”
He said as an African nation committed to the Maputo Convention which states that 10 percent of state economy will go into agriculture.
“GFA government will in fact implement this protocol more because the country lack natural mineral resources to boost the economy like other countries,” he said.
According to him, GFA government will bring good policies and laws that are helpful to private investment to ensure private investors venture more on into agriculture, adding “we hope to bring programme of canals and dike. We want to make maximum use of the fresh water and help agriculture prosper throughout the country.”
The Gambia can be a viable economy country depending how successful the government invest.
The Gambia spends multimillion dalasi on rice importation yearly.
He also they will invest much on food crops such as rice production to ensure food self-sufficiency in the country and avoid total dependent on rice importation, adding they promote agro-industrial development in order to process local agricultural products such as groundnut, vegetable and fruits to add value to these products.
“Last week I was told there is a scared that Vietnam and other traditional suppliers of rice are holding back their rice because of the COVID-19 phenomenon. So, you see, how insecure we are,” he said.
He added: “We will tax sensibly and responsibly. We will tax fairly also and we hope that because our investment climate be good the tax base will be broadened instead of taxing fifty companies, you may be taxing about five hundred companies and then we tax them reasonably,” he said.