In today’s edition, The Voice is reviewing the 2023 farming season activities and support provided to the smallholder farmers across the country, especially in the North Bank Region, and the impact of farm produce such as cereal, groundnut, rice, and others in the country.
On record by the farmers, it was disclosed that the 2023 cropping season was successful, farmers registered a bumper harvest with consideration of the timely delivery of inputs and government-subsidized fertilizers.
Farmers in Upper Badibou of NBR the year under review described 2023 farming as a triumph in attaining a bumper harvest and they thanked the Ministry of Agriculture for massive support to the farming population.
Alagie Touray President of Ndimbalente Multi-Purpose Agricultural Cooperative Society of Makka Farafenni in North Bank said his Society was registered to respond to the growing needs of farmers to attain household food security through diversification and value addition.
Last year, he said, support to farmers was unprecedented, and that has enhanced timely sowing and fertilizer application, noting that decentralization of fertilizer agents and reduction of price to D1150 enabled smallholder farmers to make it accessible to them.
Notwithstanding, he called government and farmers’ development partners not to forget them this year too by strengthening them on mechanization farming, citing tractors, groundnut, and maize threshing machines, and other labor-saving devices to ensure proper processing and avoid post-harvest losses.
In 2023, the Resilience of Organisation for Transformative Smallholder Agriculture Project (ROOTS Project) Regional Steering Committee organized a project site visit to its intervention areas in Jurunku, Bakang Karantaba, and Yallal Tankonjala to assess the intervention made on rice and vegetable production.
During the visit, Dembo Samateh Deputy Governor underscored the government’s commitment to food production and applauded ROOTS for Rice and vegetable inputs support to beneficiaries in attaining household food and nutrition security.
Fatou Darboe Lady President and Focal Point for ROOTS at Jurunku thanked ROOTS project for the foresight and noted that the support contributed to boosting rice production and contribute to food security. Described it as historic for rice farmers in terms of inputs delivery e.g. 80 bags of paddy rice, NPK 320 bags, Urea 160bgs, and with timely delivery of inputs help farmers in planting and fertilizer application.
The inputs support subsidy support programme is a three-year contract with ROOTS and is subjected to review in terms of performance and compliance with the project, as it helps to strengthen capacity.
In brief, according to Demba Sanyang Regional Coordinator ROOTS, the project aimed to strengthen farmer-based organizations to enable them to take up ownership of their development projects for sustainability. During the visit, he made it clear that the visit by RSC was paramount in the project operations because it allowed members to interact with beneficiaries and gather information such as possible impacts and challenges.
In Central Badibou, Chief Alagie Jagne who is also a renowned farmer also described the year ended as a great success, gauging his opinion further, he explained that the 2023 groundnut trade season commenced on the 4th of December 2023 and farmers are transporting groundnuts to various selling points commonly known as Secco. Secco is a groundnut selling point managed and run by GGC, a financial institution responsible for the payment of farmers after weighing their groundnuts.
Groundnut Trade Market Season
On the ongoing groundnut trade market season, The Voice visited a few buying points in NBR to gauge the progress in terms of cash availability and challenges encountered by Secco management.
Speaking to The Voice in Kuntair, Samba Sallah President of Secco, Mamat Njie, President and Sulayman Jammeh, Secretary of Chilla Secco, and Foday Gassama AGIB agent at Saaba all described the season as promising as farmers keep on transporting their groundnuts to the selling points, while cash is available to pay.
However, management committees of various buying points expressed concern about the slow transportation of groundnuts to the GGC depot in Kerewan.
On cash disbursed to date, Kuntair received D7.3million with over 205 tons, Chilla Jurunku D2million with 120 tons, Saaba D1.8 million with 15 tons, and Njawara in Lower Badibou North received D3.5 million. Due to the high flow of groundnut taking to the Secco, the management committees expressed the need to increase cash allocation plies, as most farmers are threshing, and equally farm gate price of groundnut in the Gambia is far better than the neighboring countries.
Agricultural Platform
ROOTS Project with funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in collaboration with the North Bank Marketing Federation SOLICITA launched the Agricultural Value Chain Interaction Platforms in Kerewan North Bank Region.
The objective is to contribute and create market linkages between producers, inputs dealers, processors, marketers, and transporters. The platform would strengthen and enhance coordination among stakeholders and actors, the launch of the platform is the 6 platform for Vegetable producers across the country.
Launching the agricultural platform, Governor Lamin Saidykhan of NBR underscored government commitment to food production and value chain addition. He stated that the Agricultural Value Chain Interaction Platform is crucial, as marketing garden produce would contribute to promoting value addition.
The established AVIP, Fatou Sanyang Business Development Officer at ROOTS Project, said aimed to support vegetable and rice producers across the country to address market challenges faced by women farmers. The beneficiary groups were trained in market research before production to enable the identification of potential buyers and agents, through negotiation and lobbying skills.
The handed-over ROOTS project has improved vegetable seeds to North Bank Marketing Federation SOLICITA worth D812,000 to support production and productivity. The support would boost timely vegetable production through revolving schemes to enhance income and diversification.
Farmer’s Comments
Omar Darboe Chairman of the village development committee (VDC) of Badibou Darusalam, Lower Badibou said the support extended to farmers in the year under review improved seed, and greatly enhanced timely sowing and germination rate was quite impressive. Groundnut seeds help to address challenges encountered by some farmers who peel their seeds using the decorticated machine.
Mustapha Darboe a beneficiary farmer of Rice Value Chain Transformation Project (RVCTP) groundnut and GAFSP bio-fortified Maize and fertilizer thanked the project for their support to farmers. Their support contributed immensely to boosting food production and diversification in production.
Omar Sonko Agric Officer at the Regional Agricultural Directorate in Kerewan North Bank Region said the 2023 cropping season witnessed massive agricultural projects this included GIRAV (rice, maize, and subsidized fertilizer), ROOTS Project (subsidized inputs) seeds, fertilizer, and ploughing service) support for rice production to Four intervention communities Jurunku, Bakang, Kinteh Kunda Janneh Ya, and Salikenni). GAFSP supported farmers with Maize, groundnut, cowpea, and fertilizer. RVCTP rice and groundnut support. Disbursement of D568,000 to 26 farmers from Kerr Cherno, Albreda, and Jimbana Eco Zones by Action Aid International The Gambia Juffureh Office Local Rights Programme 9
By: Haruna Kuyateh. Thevoice