Kebba Ansu Manneh
President Adama Barrow has disclosed that Gambia’s high dependence on imported Rice is neither productive nor sustainable which has compelled the government to design a new agricultural policy to support farmers.
The Gambian President made these remarks during his New Year address to the nation, where he also assured the Gambian populace of the government’s commitment to investigate the issue of the Acute Kidney Injury saga that claimed the lives of over seventy children
“The current high dependence on imported rice is neither productive nor sustainable. As a result, supporting farmers is another key priority of my government” President Adama Barrow emphasized. He added: “Despite the difficulty of providing essential farming inputs, such as fertilizer, during the year, we made a subsidy of millions of Dalasi to avail farmers’ affordable quality fertilizer. To begin the trade season on a high note, my administration increased the price of groundnuts by 14% to D32, 000 per tonne from D28, 000. Farmers also received improved seed varieties for higher yields and we have listened to the farmers during the recent Meet the People Tour and we will continue to listen to their plight.”
President Barrow also called on Gambians to take up rice cultivation seriously as the global price increase in rice is an alert for Gambians, noting that the government cannot sustain importing over seventy percent of rice consumed in the country.
He explained: “With modern technology, we can do far better. We have the land and the human resource, thus, with private sector investments; we can transform farming into profitable business ventures.”
Barrow also appealed to Gambians particularly political leaders and their supporters to always love the country regardless of diverse opinions and political affiliation to build the country, while drawing the public attention to lessons learned from the global COVID-19 pandemic and the AKI outbreaks.
He revealed that his government has already taken the initiative to improve the health infrastructure currently advancing smoothly, adding that the government is engaging in widespread construction works in progress and plans to transform the Basse and Brikama health facilities into regional hospitals this year.
President Barrow further assured there is a sharp government focus on economic recovery in the areas of agriculture, construction, and tourism to reduce global pressure on the economy.
“As a tax-based economy, we must create jobs and pay taxes willingly. Aided by new technology, we have improved tax collection and are determined to build on this success,” he finally appealed.