By Kebba Ansu Manneh
Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, leader of United Democratic Party (UDP) has cherished the agricultural development program of former President Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara dubbed ‘Tesito’, while debunking the ‘Back to the Land’ agricultural policy of his predecessor Yahya Jammeh as working for one man.
Lawyer Ousainou Darboe made this reaction at Saruja Village, Central River Region (CRR) where the UDP party held a mega rural political rally ahead of 4th December, 2021 Presidential election.
Addressing thousands of jubilant party supporters and enthusiasts, UDP Party Leader and Secretary General reflected on the success stories of Jahally Pacharr rice fields, recounting that former President Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara has disclosed in 1965 Independence address to the nation that, “’Gambian should not expect that Independent means transforming groundnuts into diamonds and should always remember that it is only through agriculture that our country can feed itself and to always know that The Gambia’s power and strength lies on agriculture.”
The veteran politician and leader of the biggest political party in The Gambia observed that during the pre-independence era great efforts were invested into agricultural development in the country, citing Tesito (fasten once belt) as a great agricultural initiative anchored on the premises of self-food sufficiency by the Jawara government.
“If we hear Jahally Pacharr it means something, in 1965, when this country attained independence, Gambia’s founding father, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, told the Gambian people not to expect independence to transform groundnuts into diamonds and to believe that The Gambia is a country that can only be sustained through farming and its strength and powers lies on agriculture, therefore, agriculture is very important for the transformation of this country,” UDP Leader submitted.
He added: “We should all agree that when we have our independence, we did our efforts to feed ourselves, we did our efforts so that Gambia will not depend on outside world for feeding, so that we can feed ourselves. That was the trajectory until we have the ‘Tesito’ and when you hear Tesito it means fasten belts and what will we fasten our belts for, to engage in farming, this is why Jahally Pacharr is brought in this country.”
He recalled that during the heydays of Jahally Pacharr one farmer can harvest more than one hundred bags of rice, arguing that today it is very rare to see farmers at Jahally Pacharr who can harvest more than ten bags of rice from their fields.
Flipping on the other side of the coin, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe branded Yahya Jammeh’s ‘Back to the Land’ agricultural policy for the country as working for one man.
“They (Jammeh regime) told us ‘back to the land’ that turned us to going Kanilai to farm for Yahya Jammeh. It becomes a competition on us who will donate more rice to Yahya Jammeh,” UDP leader highlighted.
He added: “Instead of feeding ourselves and instead of revamping Jahally Pacharr, government decided to abandon these rice fields but concentrated more on the Siffoe farm and the Kanilai farms. Coupled with this all our fertilizers and any good farming implements were all taken to Yahya Jammeh at Kanilai.”
“Darboe alledged that Yahya Jammeh’s ‘back to the land’ was later able to turned the people of Foni among other Gambians to becoming labourers at his various farms, nce all Gambians becomes labourers for Yahya Jammeh at his farms the purpose of Jahally Pacharr becomes defeated leading to its final death.
“I believe the people of Saruja can bear me witnesses that during the heydays of Sapu a lot of people come to settle here because there were lots of job opportunities available were people can make money. There were machines available couple with availability of fertilizers, during these times farmers were not only relying on rain waters because water was available to pump Jahally Pacharr Rice fields,” UDP Leader recounted.
According to him, many communities including his hometown of Bansang were all feeding themselves whole year round, adding that his grandfather Kang Burama Darboe was among the greatest rice farmers in the region at the time.
Party Leader and Secretary General of the UDP revealed that the strategies laid down by his party will not only make the country a food self-sufficient in rice cultivation but will also make it possible to become rice exporting country. That venturing into exporting rice will involve the use of mechanised farming as well as being able to process the farm produce to finish goods and consumables.
Dilating on his strategies to resolve the recurrences of communal disputes between farmers and herder relative to gracing ground issues, UDP Party leader disclosed that once Jahally Pacharr is revamped, government will be able to process animal feeds from the by-products of the harvested rice thus addressing this perennial problems between farmers and herders.
According to him, if the country can be able to process animal feeds on its own these communal problems will be laid to rest, adding that animal tracks and grazing grounds will also be created to resolve to bringing peace between farmers and herders. “We cannot implement all these plans if you don’t give your votes to the United Democratic Party,” UDP leader disclosed to jubilant supporters at Saruja Village, Lower Fulladu, Central River Region.
Criticising the policies of the Barrow-led government, UDP Leader observed that the regime is only concentrated on infrastructural development while paying blind eye to the social-economic well-being of the Gambian people, stating that the government never focus on how to make survival easy for the Gambian people.
“UDP is here to promise that we will invest 10 percent of our budget into agriculture and this will go across all the sectors of agriculture. We will make sure that any fertiliser that comes to this country for our farmers will not be sold in Senegal and no one will corrupt the system to venture into selling our farmers fertilizers outside because it belongs to our farmers,” Darboe noted.
He continued to disclosed that UDP government will endeavour to make farming lucrative venture for the Gambian people that will be anchored on good pricing and value for money, adding that UDP government will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that good prices are negotiated for Gambian farmers on their produce.
