President Barrow was speaking as he commenced his 2022 Meet the People’s Tour – an annual constitutional requirement nationwide tour.
This year’s tour is under the theme: ‘Together we can accelerate socio-economic growth and maintain peace and stability’.
This tour is an opportunity for communities of Lower Niumi to raise their concerns through a dialogue with the president for possible solutions.
Mr. Barrow thus urged all Gambian farmers to sell their groundnuts to the government, noting he has the belief that some farmers would still sell their groundnuts to middlemen who would later resell them outside the country.
“We need to help one another, because those middle men do not give you fertiliser, it is the government that subsidised the fertiliser for your farming activities,” Mr. Barrow tells farmers.
He further promised that “whoever sells his groundnuts to the government, his name would be recorded and would be first given priorities for fertiliser. It is not fair for the government to give you farmers fertiliser and in the end, you sell your produce to outsiders while the government is willing to buy your groundnuts at a better price”.
He further revealed that The Gambia government spent D500 million on fertiliser subsidies, costing the government D3, 500 per bag of fertiliser by selling at D2, 000 to farmers.
He informed that the government had asked the World Bank for the fertiliser and the World Bank had given The Gambia government US$10 million to make the fertiliser importation.
Barrow further revealed that his government has also spoken with Nigeria – which has agreed to give The Gambia government 20, 000 tons of fertilisers for next year’s farming season.
He added that The Gambia is one of the countries that are working much hard to fight hunger.
After listening to previous speakers President Barrow responded that his government has started working on borehole drillings for the provision of enough water through three phases – with one phase being supported by the government of Japan and currently being implemented.
He noted that the other phase was initiated by the President’s Office and the third phase being supported by the Africa Development Bank that is currently awaiting final paper agreement to commence its implementation.
