By: Haruna Kuyateh
As the 2023 groundnuts trade season kicked started on 4 December 2023, groundnuts farmers have embarked on transporting groundnuts to various selling points popularly called Secco, under the purview of GGC a financial institution responsible for payment to farmers after scaling their groundnuts.
This medium was able to visit few buying points in North Bank Region (NBR) to gauge the status of this year’s groundnuts trade season, income earnings and associated challenges.
Speaking to this medium at Kuntair Samba Sallah, President of Secco, Mamat Njie President and Sulayman Jammeh Secretary of Chilla Jurunku Seccoand Foday Gassama AGIB agent at Saaba described the season as promising as farmers were still transporting groundnuts after harvesting and sell to earn income.
However, management committees of various buying points expressed concern over what they termed as slow pace of transporting groundnuts to GGC depot in Kerewan, with considerable delay by vehicles in offloading. And that they are calling on GGC to come to their aid.
For financial support, Kuntair received D7.3million with over 205tons, Chilla Jurunku D2million with 120tons, Saaba D1.8 million with 15 tons and Njawaraat Lower Badibou North received D3.5 million.
As a result of high supply of groundnuts to the secco, the management committees expressed the needs to increase cash allocation and on frequent supplies, as most farmers are now ready threshing and equally farm gate price of groundnut in the Gambia is far better than our neighbors.