By: Aminata Jallow
The National Assembly select Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development has adjourned the presentation of the performance audit report on provision of farm inputs, seeds and fertilizer due to the absence of the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture.
According to Omar Darboe, chairperson of the committee, the audit was conducted by the National Food Security Processing and Marketing Corporation.
“When we had the presentation, the ministry was represented by the permanent secretary and in the findings, we discovered that some questions are related to certain stakeholders within the Ministry of Agriculture and the Permanent Secretary promised that all the stakeholders affected by our findings, will be considered,” he expressed.
Unfortunately, he continued, the permanent secretary is not around and the committee was unable to reach him and those stakeholders concern. So, “We don’t see it befitting to proceed with the consideration because some of the findings cannot be answered by us. If we proceed with you people the job will not be done. It is important to allow other stakeholders to be in attendance. The report cannot be adopted without hearing from other stakeholders,” he alluded.
Hon Omar Jammeh member of the committee told the chairperson to fix another date for the presentation.
The chairperson replied that it will be internal adding that the data will be communicated.
“Not everything should be internal, this is deliberate because the ministry was informed prior before the meeting. The PS went on tour the last time and he failed to attend the meeting,” Hon Jammeh argued.
