Hon.
Omar A. Jallow, The Gambia’s Agriculture Minister, has assured farmers of the
timely provision of affordable seeds and fertilizer.
The Agriculture Minister made the remarks
during his recent countrywide familiarisation tour, accompanied by his
permanent secretary Sait Drammeh and project directors under the Ministry of
Agriculture.
He
said to make the plan a reality, he had discussed with President Barrow the
possibilities of supplying seeds and fertilizer before the rains start.
He
further said the Agriculture Ministry would prioritize the reactivation of
defunct Cooperative Societies, which, he said, he headed before becoming
Agriculture Minister before the end of the PPP regime.
Jallow
accused the Jammeh led APRC Government of killing agriculture during their 22
year rule, pointing out that seeds and fertilizer were not constraints to
farmers during the PPP thirty-year ruled.
He
added that Gambian farmers know about “back-way syndrome” as occurred during
the APRC regime, but that was not as common during the PPP era.
Minister
Jallow said, “If we want farmers to have peace and get what they want, the
cooperatives that were ruined by the former government must be revived.”
According
to him, the new government intends to invest in good groundnut seeds, rice and
bring back cotton production, horticultural and gardening.
He
further stated that the government wants to make agriculture all-year round,
and commercialize agriculture.
In this case, he added, farmers with huge land
areas would be supported with seeds and machinery, such as tractors, through
partnership.
In
Kerewan, the regional administrative area of North Bank Region (NBR), Hon.
Jallow said Adama Barrow’s Government is interested in making farming a
year-round activity.
He
said they are servants of the people and that they assumed public office to
serve and not for the people to be their servants.
“There must not be President’s or Ministers’
farm, where the people will abandon their farms to work for such public
officers,” he said.
Hon.
Jallow also inaugurated a newly-constructed Kerewan Market funded by IFAD
project during his tour.
