News Desk
The Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) one hundred and twenty five million dollars ($125m) commercial agricultural project agreed with US Agric-Business Company (AGCO) is at a standstill barely two years after President Adama Barrow’s blessing at Statehouse in 2019.
This agricultural project championed by The Gambia Armed Forces has entice rural farmers, youths, community leaders and regional authorities thus making them to relinquished 5000hectares of lands to the Project in anticipation for employment opportunities, income generation and booming agriculture.
GAF has since secured these lands mainly in the Central River Region (CRR), districts of Lower Saloum, Nianija, Niani and Fulladu where the Army said the Lands were given voluntarily and in return the Gambia Army Forces will employ 30percent of the project’s workforce from the locals whose lands falls under this project.
However, scores of residents in CRR has rang the alarm bell and asked the army to speak out as regarding the standstill of the project.
According to them, the army did not start any work in their lands and has not informed them of the status of the agricultural project that was widely expected to start in 2019. They expressed their dissatisfaction towards the slow pace of the project, arguing that if GAF can no longer carry on with the agriculture project it should return back their lands.
“To be frank we are now getting discouraged with this whole issue and we are asking the army to return back our lands if the project is yet to commence. We give them these Lands with the believe that very soon our youths will be employed but as things stands it will be better for the army to clear the air before we take back our lands,” one affected farmer told this medium.
He said because of high unemployment in the area among the youths, his family among many other families decided to allocate the Lands to the Army. “It seems all is not well with the project because besides the army coming here to secure our Lands nothing else has been done. It’s coming to two years no formal work has started in these identified lands in both here and other districts,” an affected farmer disclosed
He added: “At the onset we were very happy that such a large scale project is coming on our way but unfortunately up to today the Lands are left unattended.” The Voice Newspaper has reach out to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of The Gambia Armed Forces (GAF), Major Lamin Sanyang to shed light on the status of the $125million agriculture project after many residents and youths of CRR are left in Bewilderment two years on.
“We are still on course, we are engaging in discussions with Ministry of Agriculture and other stakeholders. I cannot specifically tell you when the agricultural production will start formally but we are on discussions and consultations,” PRO Major Lamin Sanyang, responded.
According to him, such large scale projects doesn’t come overnight as it takes stages before any formal business can take off, assuring the people of CRR and the larger Gambian populace that very soon the Gambia Armed Forces-AGCO Agricultural Project will kick-off.
Major Sanyang, also affirmed that AGCO did not have any offices in the country and neither of its officials are based here in the country, adding that the unavailability of the above mentioned will not derail the project as consultations and discussions are on course and on high gears to formally start the project.
Under the program, the army will engage in tidal rice irrigation, animal husbandry, poultry production, horticulture, morringa and sugarcane farming and production. But since the blessing of the project by President Adama Barrow on 8th April, 2019, The Gambia Armed-AGCO Agribusiness Company is constantly coming under criticism mainly from farmers, economists and activists.
Dr. Ousman Gagigo an economist cum farmer has observed that there is nowhere in The Gambian Constitution that permits the Army to engage in commercial activities, while Madi Jobarteh, a leading Gambian Rights Activist argues that the agricultural project could have given too much powers and influence to the army on the national economy and politics.
They have since called on the army to cease from implementing this $125million that is a standstill since April, 2019, when last AGCO officials visits the country.