Farmers who participated in the just completed
trade fair at the Independent Stadium courtesy of NEMA and GCAV projects have
expressed appreciation to the organisers of the fair for considering small
scale farmers.
The farmers said:“This year’s trade fair is one of the most eye-catching ever organised by the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) in the sense that it has impacted positively on our small businesses.”
The farmers thanked the two agricultural projects under the Ministry of Agriculture for making it possible for them to showcase their produce at the fair.
However the farmers also outlined some of the issues affecting their farming activities.
They said they are being confronted by shortage of waters, lack of storage facilities, lack of processing facilities, transportation problem, poor garden fence, inadequate or lack of farm machines like power tillers among others.
Already, some of their concerns were put to the deputy minister of agriculture during a recent visit at the trade fair with other senior agriculture officials including permanent secretaries of the ministry.
The deputy Minister Sheriffo Bojang said he was impressed with what he has seen and heard during his interaction with the some of the farmers at the trade fair.
The purpose of the visit was for the officials to see for themselves how the sponsored small scale farmers were fairing at the trade fair and to talk to them to hear their experiences, successes, concerns, and challenges.
Bojang said the visit enabled him to know the concerns of the farmers so as to chart a way forward in improving agricultural production and productivity.
“I believe that is a step in the right direction as far as agriculture is concern,” the deputy minister said.
