The
Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Omar Jallow, has said that he was very impressed
with the performance of agricultural directors in implementing government
projects that are entrusted by them to the farmers.
He
said this during his visit to the agricultural project sites under his purview
across the regions.
According
to Minister Jallow, during his interactions with the farmers on the tour, he
has seen that the project directors have lived up to expectations because the
projects that are under their care have been implemented to the latter.
“I
am very impressed and we will continue to call on the project directors to see
how we can accelerate the development of these projects,” he said.
He
said time was of the essence and that urgency has to be stressed with regards
to contractors and consultants.
He
said during his tour he has listened keenly to the farmers and has seen their
concerns are genuine, adding that it goes into the heart of food security and
poverty eradication.
“We
have to learn from our mistakes,” he said; adding that if farmers were
consulted at the design stage of the project they would take ownership.
He
said the objective was to ensure farming becomes a business and as a government
they would ensure that a conducive environment is created for investors by
giving tax holidays to investors.
He said it was also important to make sure
that equipment imported into the country are duty free as that would encourage
investors.
