By BintaJaiteh
An acute two months water shortage has hit Jahally-Pacharr rice fields in Fulladu, which has made the rice farmers expressed concerns of possible poor harvest and hunger.
Malang who spoke to The Voice exclusively on behalf of the affected farmers said: “our gardens are drying for two months, thisis very serious and it is making us worry because it is on this farms we all depend to survive because it is from it we are waiting on to feed our families.”
According to him, some people sell the rice to make money and solve their needs while others store it for another year to eat before another harvesting period begins.Adding last year some Arabs brought boreholes to the village but it didnot ease the situation.
“One bag of fertilizer is costing between D2500 to D3000 if you buy two to three bags it is amounting to D9000 on fertilizer alone. Also the people who will harvest the rice will be paidand how can a family man afford that especially at this price hike pandemonium.
“Our village FulladuPacharr and the neighbouring village starting from Jahally, Brikama Ba, and FulaBantang, we all meet at Pacharr which is the big ‘faro’ and we discover that the rice develops yellow leaves on the tip due to the water shortage. Even before the Ramadan the rice that was harvested is still not growing,” he added.
Karamo Fatty, a resident of Pacharr also explained that he was working at Jahally and Pacharr rice field with farmers of CRR lower Fulladu West for many years but the problem Jahally and Pacharr farmers are facing is a whole lot. He added that water canals are not properly manage, water gates are not control, most lands are not level, all these hindered farming in the country.
