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GEAPP donates farm implements to operation no back way to Europe

Mar 4, 2011, 12:39 PM | Article By: Abdoulie Nyockeh

The Gambia Emergency Agricultural Production Project (GEAPP) through the Ministry of Youth and Sports, yesterday donated farming implements to

Operation No Back Way
to Europe, a youth group working to discourage illegal migration in the country.

The donated items included two power tillers, two rice threshers, two seeders, two shine hoes, and 75 bags of fertilizers.

The donation followed a request by the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Youth and Sports for GEAPP to support young people to involve in more agricultural production.

Speaking at the handing-over ceremony, Sheikh Tijan Sosseh, Project coordinator of GEAPP, gave an overview of the project, which, he said, seeks to provide agricultural inputs and seed storage facilities with a view to boosting its production.

Sosseh underscored government's commitment to empower the youth, noting that one way of doing so is to encourage them into farming.

According to him, based on the request by the Permanent Secretary for Youth and Sports, GEAPP responded positively in a bid to encourage youth participation in farming.

He revealed that the project last year distributed 525 tons of certified seeds to villages and youth groups.

"It is this continued support that we are extending to

Operation No Back Way
to Europe through the Ministry of Youth and Sports," he noted.

He commended the European Commission, the World Bank and the Ministry of Agriculture for their support to the sector.

For his part, the PS at the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Alieu K. Jammeh, commended GEAPP through the project coordinator, Sheikh Tijan Sosseh.

He advised the youth to handle the farming implement with care.