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MOA sets aside over D6m for fertilizer in upcoming season

Feb 6, 2020, 12:34 PM | Article By: Abdoulie Nyockeh

The director general at the Department of Agriculture under the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has disclosed that the Ministry has deposited nearly seven million dalasis at the Central Bank of The Gambia to be used for the purchase of fertilizer in the upcoming rainy season.

Sahiou Sanyang made this disclosure recently during an interview with the media, on the sidelines of the handing over of farm implements to farmers in Central River Region by President Barrow.

“As at now the actual amount that we deposited to the CBG is close to D7M. So we are going to use that fund to buy fertilizer in the upcoming season so that the issue of fertilizer will be the thing of the past”.

To that end, DG Sanynag indicated that the Department of Agriculture and its line ministry are ready to address the concerns of farmers in terms of timely delivery of fertilizer to boost their productivity.

This, he added, is all geared towards boosting agricultural production and productivity in the country.

DG Sanyang recalled that last year the price of a bag of fertilizer was not expensive because it was supplied at a subsidized price.

“For instance, the fertilizer that we supplied to the farmers was at a cost of seven hundred dalasi per bag. During the last rainy season, fertilizer was available from our level of Ministry of Agriculture to the level of Gambia Groundnut Corporation level.”

The department, he went on, even identified outlets which includes farmers’ cooperative and farmers’ association to be responsible for the sale of these fertilizer  at a cost of seven hundred dalasis per bag.

“From that amount farmers were given D50 percent commissions and the six-hundred and fifty dalasis (D650) goes to the Ministry as a revolving fund. We want to ensure that fertilizer is available and affordable to all farmers all year round”.

The Ministry, he added, will also be handing over farm implements to an additional 93 selected communities in the country, adding that that is all geared towards enhancing the capacity of farmers with latest mechanized farming tools, which he said, would greatly address daily drudgery experienced by farmers in rural Gambia.