By: Nyima Sillah
Farmers have expressed concern on the price on bags of fertilizer and urged the government to help address the issue by reducing the prices.
This comes after the government through the ministry of agriculture increased the price of a bag of fertilizer from 700 dalasis to 2,500 dalasis.
Ebrahim Sillah, farmer in LRR expressed his dissatisfaction with a heavy heart saying that the government of the Gambia is not showing any interest in Agriculture.
“Most of the farmers in the Gambia are from a vulnerable family and depend on the sessional farming which is done once a year. So, if you should tell a farmer that has been sitting for months before cultivations to buy a bag of D2500 for his farm, where do you expect them to get that money from?
“We depend on farming and somethings three months after the rainy season you will become penniless. You cannot use all the cultivated crops and leave your family in hunger. We sell some and give some to the family and wait for the next rain session before cultivating again,” he explained.
Amie Dahaba, a farmer in Upper River Region, also expressed her disappointment saying she does not have the hope to cultivate the same hectares of land that she normally cultivates because at the end she will not have fertilizer and that will resort to a loss.
She added: “last year I bought less fertilizers because I couldn’t purchase the exact bags of fertilizer needed for my farm and after the rain my harvest was very low and I faced a lot of difficulties talk less of this year D2500, this is very disheartening and a call for concern.”
However, another Farmer from Kombo North Ebou Jatta, said: “if the prices should rapidly increase just like that without governments intervention, then he sees no reason for citizens voting when their voices are ignored and their problems are never solved. Some take credit because they cannot afford it until after harvest so you don’t expect farmers to put all their profit into debt paying. The living condition of people in this country is becoming tribble by the day.”
Agriculture minister sheds light on new price on fertilizer
By Adama Makasuba
Dr Demba Sabally, minister of agriculture has shed light on new fertilizer prices in the country amid outrage among farmers.
Dr Sabally’s reaction comes days after the Barrow administration through the ministry of agriculture announced 2,500 dalasis per bag of fertilizer.
“The hot discussion in town right is the issue of the fertilizer and what caused it it’s the new price of 2500 dalasis. But what we just want to explain is for people to understand the context why the price rose and look for ways to bring it down if it is possible.
“Because if you look last year, the government imported excess of 200,000 bags which supposed to service a period of two years and those in the business know that if you are buying in wholesale, you buy the lesser the price and us in The Gambia buy small quantity because price challenge exists,” Dr Sabally said.
“If you look this year, the government bought a bag of fertilizer at 3,000 dalasis. And we sell a bag of fertilizer to farmers at 2,500 dalasis. So, what that entails this year 2022, the government imported 140,000 bags of fertilizers. That means that the government is subsidising 1,000 dalasis on every bag. The government is subsidising 1.4 billion dalasis for the farmers, that’s what the government spent to help farmers for this year,” he added.
According to him, The Gambia’s neighbours are selling a bag of fertilizers at 2,800 dalasis but added they are committed to looking for solutions to the issue.
“So, we are doing all the steps that we can do to reduce the price if it is possible. But we want people to know. And what happened last year, if our people didn’t take all our fertilizers out to other countries like Mali and other countries, the government wouldn’t import any fertilizer this year,” he continued.
